Bees ‘identify scent pattern’
BUMBLEBEES can identify different flowers by the invisible patterns of scent across their surface, new research has found.
The work, led by scientists from the University of Bristol and Queen Mary University of London, revealed how bees learn patterns and distinguish between flowers.
Flowers have different patterns of scent across their surface, with visiting bees finding that the edge of the petals may smell different to the centre.
Dr Dave Lawson, from the University of Bristol’s School of Biological Sciences, said: “By creating artificial flowers that have identical scents arranged in different patterns, we are able to show that this patterning might be a