Feeding on flowers is complicated work. Bees venture out of the colony over and over again, collecting nectar and pollen for themselves and their nest-mates, learning how to identify and manipulate flowers that change throughout the season while dodging predators and parasites. How do bees manage it all? One option is to follow around other bees and copy what they do. However, sometimes bees can’t—or won’t—use the information they learn from watching other bees. In this talk, we discuss Dr. McDermott’s research on how social cues and neonicotinoid pesticide exposure influence how bees choose flowers and what bees learn from their choices.
This event is free following admission into the Garden.
