Wild Bees Visit Different Flowers to Balance Diet, Study Shows

Wild bees strategically visit different flowers to balance their intake of protein, fat and carbohydrates, a study has found.

- Svetlana Onye

Ecologists observed eight species of wild bumblebees in the Colorado Rockies over eight years to develop a comprehensive nutritional map.

Focusing on pollen consumption, the team led by Northwestern University and the Chicago Botanic Garden tracked which flowers each species visited for pollen. They collected pollen samples from these plant species to understand their nutrient content.

At the lab, the team measured each pollen sample's macronutrient content and calculated its concentration of protein, fat and carbohydrates.