Wednesday, September 28, 2011 ~ News

Dipping tongues allow bees to drink the sweetest nectar

US mathematicians have worked out why the flowers pollinated by bees have sweeter nectar than those visited by butterflies.

When it comes to drinking nectar, the most important factor is whether the insects dip their tongue in, or whether they suck the liquid up.

The sweeter the nectar, the thicker it is, and research found that the dipping method of bees is ideal for drawing up the most viscous liquid.

They published their results in PNAS.

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