Category Archives: communication

Dull Males; Bright, Attractive Females

Posted on October 24, 2016 by jjneal

The false garden mantid, Pseudomantis albofimbriata, (pictured) is a cryptic predator that lives by stealth. The green coloration allows males and females to blend with their surroundings. The color of males and females and the brightness of the male are comparable to … Continue reading →

Posted in behavior, Biomaterials, by jjneal, communication | 1 Comment

Butterflies: Billboards With A Fixed Message

Posted on July 18, 2016 by jjneal

Butterflies use their wings as colorful billboards to communicate to other animals. Aposematic colors may say, “I am toxic.”. Cryptic colors may say, “I am not a butterfly, I am a dead leaf.” A mimic may use color to say, … Continue reading →

Posted in by jjneal, communication, Taxonomy | 1 Comment

Living With Gut Microbes

Posted on December 12, 2015 by jjneal

Our knowledge of the role of gut microbes in the health and physiology of animals of all types is expanding as our tools to investigate microbes expands.  Today, biologists have an array of biological and chemical tools that can provide positive … Continue reading →

Posted in behavior, Biomaterials, by jjneal, communication, Pest Management | 1 Comment

To Silence Bees

Posted on October 21, 2015 by jjneal

Foraging bees return to the hive and dance to communicate the location of flowers to other foragers. The communication occurs when the dancing bees transmit vibrations to the honey comb with their thoracic muscles. However, the movement of the thorax of bees and … Continue reading →

Posted in behavior, by jjneal, communication | 1 Comment

Do Bees Hear?

Posted on October 19, 2015 by jjneal

For years, bees were known to detect vibrations in solid substrates with their legs, but no proof existed that bees could hear sounds traveling through air. A series of experiments in 1989 led to the conclusion that bees could respond … Continue reading →

Posted in behavior, by jjneal, communication | 1 Comment

Living With Good Vibrations

Posted on October 18, 2015 by jjneal

Honey bees use vibrations transmitted through the honey comb for communication. The vibration of the comb vibrates the legs of the bees. A receptor that measures the extension between two leg segments, the tibia and femur was found* to produce … Continue reading →

Posted in behavior, by jjneal, communication | 1 Comment

Begging for Information

Posted on October 17, 2015 by jjneal

Forager bees collect nectar from flowers and return to the hive to communicate the location and quality of a food source by means of a waggle dance. The waggle dance recruits other foragers who learn the location of the food by the … Continue reading →

Posted in behavior, by jjneal, communication | Leave a comment