Educational Science

Buzzworthy View: See the World Through a Wasp's Eyes

Before a ground wasp leaves its burrow to forage, it takes to the air to perform a peculiar aerodynamic exercise: looping in arcs around the nest and gradually gaining height and distance before flying away. Now, scientists have created a video of this swirly trip from the insect's point of...

The Mysterious Sex Lives of Hawaii's Endangered Yellow-Faced Bees

In late September 2016, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) added seven of Hawaii's yellow-faced bee species to the Endangered Species List — the first time any bee has been declared endangered. What do we know about their sex lives and could this information be the key to saving...

Anthophora Pueblo (Image credit: Michael Orr, Utah State University)A new species of desert-dwelling bee, Anthophora pueblo, peeks out of its sandstone nest. These bees gnaw holes into the rock, a difficult process that leaves older bees with worn-out mandibles. New research published Sept. 12 in the journal Current Biology, however,...

Four New Wasp Species Identified in China

Four species of parasitoid wasps have been discovered in northwest China, a new study reports. The new species belong to the genus Gasteruption. These wasps have slender bodies and inflated, club-shaped hind legs. They also have elongated necks, and keep their abdomens raised and hind legs dangling during their slow,...

'Heavy Metal' Bee Is a Headbanging Pollinator (Video)

Australia's blue-banded bee is a successful pollinator because it uses its head — literally, scientists have found. Like a heavy-metal fan headbanging to Iron Maiden, this species of blue-banded bee (Amegilla murrayensis) vibrates its head rapidly when visiting flowers. This turns out to be quite an effective method for distributing...

City Life Can Be Tough on Bees

Humans aren't the only ones who find city life uniquely stressful — bees feel the stress, too, scientists have found. Honeybees living in urban areas encounter more deadly pathogens than their counterparts living in the burbs or the country. Over the past century, pollinator numbers have declined dramatically in the...

Rusty Patched Bumblebee Declared Endangered

The rusty patched bumblebee (Bombus affinis) is now the first bumblebee species to receive protections under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. The listing of the bee species was finalized today (Jan. 11) after a five-year campaign by environmental groups. The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation first petitioned for the listing...

Revolt in the Hive: Why Worker Wasps Sometimes Kill Their Queens

Workers in wasp nests sometimes kill their queens, even though these egg-laying wasps are also their mothers. Now, researchers think they might know why such murders take place — so that workers can give birth to sons of their own, according to a new study. Wasps are often social insects...

Hop to It! Cocooned Wasp Larvae Jump to Survive

Parasitic wasp larvae Bathyplectes anurus are perfectly hoppy inside cocoons hijacked from the weevil larvae they ate. Image credit: Yoriko Saeki Tiny, cocooned parasitic wasp larvae hop their way to safety, jumping to get away from predators and to find cool, shady areas, a new study finds. These wee jumpers...

Flower Aroma Is a Honeybee's Chill Pill

Music has charms to soothe a savage breast. And, it seems, flowers can calm an aggressive honeybee. Scientists in France and Australia have found that angry honeybees are less likely to attack when exposed to certain floral scents, such as lavender, associated with the promise of food. This occurs even...