New study shows how bumblebees make decisions ‘on the fly’ to maximise energy returns

If you have ever watched a bumblebee move from flower to flower, you might wonder how they decide which flower to choose and how long to remain on it. A new research study led by the University of Oxford has demonstrated that bumblebees make choices while foraging to maximize the rate of energy return, i.e. the amount of nectar sugar collected each minute. The findings have been published in the journal iScience.

It is amazing that, even with a relatively simple brain, bumblebees are able to make such complex energetic decisions. We found that bumblebees optimise their foraging behaviour in a way which suggests they are constantly evaluating not just the quality of nectar reward they are collecting, but also the time it takes to collect it.

Dr Jonathan Pattrick (Department of Biology, University of Oxford)