Researchers from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, found that honey bees, like search dogs, recognize odors quite well. Now the team hopes that this will help make bees more efficient in pollinating specific crops.
Colonies of honey bees produced food that had a synthetic odor that mimicked the aroma of sunflower. Then it was found that these bees visited sunflowers more often and this in turn led to a significant increase in production. Such findings may be good news for many farmers who rely on pollination.
“We show that honey bees can be set up in a colony to smell a particular crop, and this experience changes their behavior,” said scientist Walter Farina, head of the study.
According to him, the honey bee never forgets.
“The most amazing and significant result is that bees have a strong desire to fly to the target crop, which significantly increases yields,” said Mr. Walter.
This is not the first time Farina and his team have made a significant discovery about bees. Earlier, researchers found that honey bees were able to create long-lasting, lasting memories associated with the smells of food they encountered in the nest. These memories then influenced the bees’ choices about which crops they would visit in the future.