Can bees sense electric fields?
Short answerTrueEmerging research
Bumblebees can. A flower connected to the ground carries a small negative charge, a bee in flight carries a positive one, and the resulting field around the flower is detectable. Bees learn to associate field patterns with reward, and the receptor appears to be fine body hairs deflected by the field.
Where the field comes from
Plants are earthed through their stems and roots and sit at a slightly negative potential relative to the air. A flying insect accumulates positive charge through friction with the air. The difference produces a weak electric field around a flower, and the field's shape changes for a while after a visit because the departing bee leaves the flower slightly less negative.
What was demonstrated
Bumblebees in an arena learned to discriminate between artificial flowers by field alone, with colour and scent held constant. A later study identified the likely receptor: fine hairs on the body are deflected by the field, and the deflection is transduced by the same kind of mechanoreceptor that detects touch and airflow. An effect that sounded exotic acquired a plausible mechanism within three years, which is unusually quick.
Sources
- Detection and learning of floral electric fields by bumblebees — Science (2013) · Peer-reviewed article
- Mechanosensory hairs in bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) detect weak electric fields — Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2016) · Peer-reviewed article
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