Discovered another of the secret superpowers of bees

For many years it has not been known for sure the reason for that invisible interaction between flowers and bees that pollinate them. The flowers were found to develop various sizes and shapes in order to force these pollinators into a monogamous relationship with them.

But what was even more surprising is how the bees were able to identify the kind of flower they were on from the front. In a study published Monday, it was found that the "fur" that covers the bodies of bees It helps them to sense the natural electric fields of the flowers, allowing them to return to the same flower over and over again to pollinate it.

Bees are capable of feel your hair bend and use that effect to know the difference between the different flowers. The discovery made in 2013 that showed how bees were capable of sensing electric fields was quite a surprise when it is known that this ability that other living beings, such as sharks, need water to be able to use it.

But the bees that British researchers have been studying appear to be able to discern minute fluctuations with the ground and air around them, which helps them identify the different flowers. They can also feel the natural changes in the charges emitted by petunias. They can even tell when a flower's charge has been disturbed by another bee that had landed on it.

Gregory Sutton, a biologist at the University of Bristol, suspected that the bees were using their antenna. Although when he tested that theory, the results did not lead him that way. Using a laser beam capable of detecting small movements in the bees' hairs and an electrode that was capable of recording the activity in the nerves of the cells at the bottom of the hairs, they found that the fur tends to move in response to electric fields, just like human hair touches a plastic balloon.

These hairs send signals to the nervous system of bees, which allows them to feel the electric fields and thus react accordingly. Basically this adds another of the incredible things that bees can do.