4 Jun 2016

Electric bumblebees

From This Way Up, 12:15 pm on 4 June 2016
Bumble bee close up

Bumble bee close up Photo: (GP Sutton, D Clarke, EL Morley, and D Robert)

Bumblebees can sense electric fields generated by flowers, and are using these electrical signals as a navigational aid to distinguish between different flowers as they buzz around gathering pollen. We speak to researcher Gregory Sutton from the University of Bristol who's made the startling discovery.