Who has never had a moment of doubt or even gotten lost when coming home in the middle of the night? Whatever the reason, we hope you managed to find the door in due course and arrive safely. So that it does not happen to you again, we present the following story, which we think may be useful to you.
According to a study published in the journal Smithsonian Tropical Research Institution , by researchers from the University of Lund, in Sweden, those that never have problems returning to the nest, whatever time it is, are some species known as sweat bees Panamanian sweat bees.
Science knows that ants, bees and wasps are able to navigate and visually orient themselves when they travel between their foraging sites and their nests. This fact occurs thanks to the fact that they memorize landmarks that they find along the way and use them to locate their nest again. This behavior during the day is a brilliant strategy, but what happens when there is no light at all? What patterns do these animals use to see in the dark? How do they get their bearings at night without any kind of illuminated beacon?
The sweat bee Megalopta genalis is able to navigate through the dense jungle at night, at light intensities ten times less bright than starlight. And he does it in the same way as his relatives in broad daylight, but in reverse: instead of looking down, he does it looking at the sky. According to experts, the hymenoptera of the species Megalopta genalis find their way home thanks to the contrast that occurs between the canopy of vegetation and the starry sky, much more illuminated. In short, the silhouettes of the vegetation cut out on the night sky serve as perfect signs to orient themselves.
This behavior is not new, since it has also been observed in several species of ants, among other insects. However, this is the first study in which he describes a flying insect with such capacity.
According to Wcislo, one of the study’s authors, in a magazine interview for the Washington Post, “when the bees leave the nests of twigs that they build hanging from the branches, they turn around, look towards the nest and fly around of the. They are learning, where is the closest ‘Starbucks’ ”, as a metaphor.
The study authors were positive with their results. In addition to highlighting that this discovery could open the door to the development of certain human technology, specifically the possible military applications of this type of night orientation; They also highlight the importance of increasing our knowledge of orientation in insects, so that we can guarantee their conservation so that they can continue pollinating. “If we want plants and fruits, we need pollinators like sweat bees. And by figuring out what they need to navigate, we can do a better job of helping to conserve them,” Wcislo tells the Washington Post.
References:
Chaib, S., Dacke, M., Wcislo, W., & Warrant, E. (2021). Dorsal landmark navigation in a Neotropical nocturnal bee. Current Biology, 31(16), 3601–3605.e3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.05.029
Nargi, L. (2021, September 28). Sweat bees can find their way home in the pitch dark. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/sweat-bees-can-find-their-way-home-in-the-pitch-dark/2021/09/27/510e2e86-de6b-11eb-9f54-7eee10b5fcd2_story.html
