Scientists hopeful antidote can help protect bumblebees from pesticides | Study suggests hydrogel microparticles increase survival by 30% in bumblebees exposed to lethal doses of neonicotinoids

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#Scientists #Antidote #Bumblebees #Pesticides #Study

Bees learn to read simple ‘Morse code’ 🐝📡 - study shows that bumblebees can be trained to differentiate between long and short light flashes. This has been seen only in humans and other vertebrates such as macaques or pigeons.

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#Bees #MorseCode #AnimalIntelligence #Bumblebees #ScienceBreakthrough

Even brief exposure to insecticide used in vaporizing commercial mosquito repellents can significantly impair bumblebees’ ability to find their way back to the nest. The bumblebee workers’ ability to navigate back to the nest with food is vital to the survival of the entire colony.

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#Bumblebees #Pollinators #Pesticides

🐝 Brief exposure to the insecticide prallethrin, found in popular mosquito repellent devices like Thermacell, significantly impairs bumblebees' ability to navigate back to their nests.

🐝 A study involving 167 buff-tailed bumblebees found that while 37% of unexposed bees returned to the nest, only 17% exposed for 10 minutes and just 5% exposed for 20 minutes made it back. Exposure did not increase mortality.

🐝 Researchers from the University of Turku and University of Oulu suggest this impaired navigation could weaken colonies by preventing food collection, potentially leading to colony death. They recommend a reassessment of the ecological safety of such insecticides.

#PollinatorProtection #Insecticides #Bumblebees