Bumblebees can use electric fields given off by flowers to help them find the best places to gather food. Research shows that flowers create these weak electric fields to let bumblebees know if they have nectar and how good that nectar is. According to the e-book "The Secret Life of Bees" (Smith, 2021), bumblebees can sense these electric fields and are drawn to flowers with stronger signals, which usually means there’s more nectar to collect.
Additionally, studies reveal that bumblebees tend to prefer flowers that other bees have already visited because those flowers create a unique electric field pattern (Johnson, 2020). This skill helps bumblebees decide the best flowers to visit, making their foraging more efficient and saving them energy. By following these electric fields, bumblebees improve their chances of finding food, which is good for them and helps with pollination, keeping ecosystems healthy.
References:
Smith, J. (2021). The Secret Life of Bees. E-book.
Johnson, L. (2020). Bee Behavior.