Hi folks,
I?ve never really given it much thought but a bee has an amazing sense of smell. I notice it all the time but generally just dismiss it. When ever I warm honey, I give it a stir on a regular basis to mix the crystallised honey through. Every time I open a bucket of honey to perform this task, bees come buzzing around to investigate within seconds of the lid being removed. If I melt down wax in the shed, I can hear bees as soon as the wax starts to melt. I suppose this sense of smell is vital to help them to source nectar supplies for the hive.
It's true, its something that's often overlooked. I only really thought about it for the first time when my dad asked me once how bees find flowers when they are out searching for nectar. I was like, "Well I guess it's smell and sight, but let me double check, because weirdly I'm not sure!" :grin: This time of year I often clean frames out in front of my garage, and if there is even a tiny bit of honey in the frame I'm cleaning, the bees will be there to investigate in minutes.
They say that a bees sense of smell is 100x as good as ours. That?s pretty good really. I reckon I can smell a good pizza cooking from about 100 yards?.. With a breeze blowing in the right direction, I can also smell the nectar being ripened by the bees at quite a distance. Just imagine what our little friends can do.
Im not attempting to change the subject, just adding, Humming Birds must have a great sense of smell for nectar also.
They 'love' our Hibiscus and readily find them (when in season).
Phillip
It is really not much different from how quickly the neighbours drop by to chat when the Bar-BQ is light and warming up (smoking a bit).
That said, yes it is amazing how quickly bees can show up and promptly drown themselves in the nozzle stream of fresh syrup refilling a bucket.
Quote from: Ben Framed on November 05, 2022, 06:33:33 PM
Im not attempting to change the subject, just adding, Humming Birds must have a great sense of smell for nectar also.
They 'love' our Hibiscus and readily find them (when in season).
Phillip
I think hummingbirds find flowers and feeders mostly by sight. Most birds have a poor sense of smell.
Quote from: TheHoneyPump on November 05, 2022, 07:14:09 PM
It is really not much different from how quickly the neighbours drop by to chat when the Bar-BQ is light and warming up (smoking a bit).
That said, yes it is amazing how quickly bees can show up and promptly drown themselves in the nozzle stream of fresh syrup refilling a bucket.
Or plunge into a batch of melting wax. :sad: I learned the hard way I need to have a splatter screen over the crock pot when I melt wax on the porch.
"It is really not much different from how quickly the neighbours drop by to chat when the Bar-BQ is light and warming up (smoking a bit)."
Ha ha Good simile! :wink:
Phillip
"I think hummingbirds find flowers and feeders mostly by sight. Most birds have a poor sense of smell. "
Maybe so 🤷🏼♂️, The Humming Bird is a 'unique' bird. I have never studied it but I do find its amazing how they can find our few Hibiscus out here any kind of way, or either method (Smell or Sight). 😊 Especially when many 'subdivision' folks feed them making easy food access for them. I wonder if they might prefer Hibiscus and seek it out.. lol
Les I hope you don't mind the humming bird additional talk on your topic, they both feed on nectar, both Bird and Insect.
Phillip
Quote from: Ben Framed on November 05, 2022, 09:17:13 PM
Especially when many 'subdivision' folks feed them making easy food access for them. I wonder if they might prefer Hibiscus and seek it out.. lol
Perhaps the hibiscus has a more sugar-rich nectar than the standard 1:4 syrup people put in their feeders. That would make the hummers prefer it, since it's more calorie-dense. And calories are extremely important to hummingbirds, as they have the fastest metabolism of any animal. They need to eat 1.5-3x their body weight every day, which means they are only hours from starving to death at any given time. Hummingbirds have to enter a hibernation-like state called torper just to sleep at night without starving to death!
Quote from: Ben Framed on November 05, 2022, 09:17:13 PM
Les I hope you don't mind the humming bird additional talk on your topic, they both feed on nectar, both Bird and Insect.
Sorry, Les, but I can't resist a good animal fact opportunity! :grin:
Quote from: The15thMember on November 05, 2022, 10:03:47 PM
Quote from: Ben Framed on November 05, 2022, 09:17:13 PM
Especially when many 'subdivision' folks feed them making easy food access for them. I wonder if they might prefer Hibiscus and seek it out.. lol
Perhaps the hibiscus has a more sugar-rich nectar than the standard 1:4 syrup people put in their feeders. That would make the hummers prefer it, since it's more calorie-dense. And calories are extremely important to hummingbirds, as they have the fastest metabolism of any animal. They need to eat 1.5-3x their body weight every day, which means they are only hours from starving to death at any given time. Hummingbirds have to enter a hibernation-like state called torper just to sleep at night without starving to death!
Quote from: Ben Framed on November 05, 2022, 09:17:13 PM
Les I hope you don't mind the humming bird additional talk on your topic, they both feed on nectar, both Bird and Insect.
Sorry, Les, but I can resist a good animal fact opportunity! :grin:
Thank you again Reagan for you thoroughness and finding answering my 'many' questions, along with answering other members questions as well! You are a true "asset" to Beemaster Forums! IMHO
Phillip