This blog may help people explore some of the 'hidden' issues involved in certain media treatments of environmental and scientific issues. Using personal digital images, it's also intended to emphasise seasonal (and other) changes in natural history of the Swansea (South Wales) area. The material should help participants in field-based modules and people generally interested in the natural world. The views are wholly those of the author.
Sunday, 30 October 2022
Keep on Rolling!
A study in Animal Behaviour, describes bumblebees rolling small wooden balls, for 'no apparent reward' (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/oct/27/bumblebees-playing-wooden-balls-bees-study). Younger bumblebees rolled more than older subjects. Males rolled for longer than did females. The authors suggest that this activity might be a form of play behaviour. This seems, however, a quantum leap. Just because there is no apparent reward, doesn't mean that there isn't one, as yet unidentified. It could be the case that the bees are simply fixated on moving small objects in relation to nests. It's also difficult to work out how such 'play', could benefit the bee's older self and the colony.
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