Bumblebee hairs can sense floral electric fields

Guardian : Besides using sight and smell to distinguish among flowers, bumblebees have the ability to detect the weak electrical fields produced by the plants. According to a new study, flying insects, such as bees, accumulate a tiny positive electric charge as they flit around, while flowers produce a weak negative charge. The difference in electric potential facilitates pollen transfer. To find out how bees’ bodies respond to such an applied electric field, the researchers experimented with both live and dead bees. They found that although both the bees’ antennae and body hairs were deflected by the electrical field, the body hairs were significantly more sensitive, reacting much faster and deflecting much farther. The researchers say that because many other insects have similar body hairs, they may also be sensitive to such small electric fields.