Bees Communicate With Electric Fields

sciencehabit writes "The electric fields that build up on honey bees as they fly, flutter their wings, or rub body parts together may allow the insects to talk to each other, a new study suggests. Tests show that the electric fields, which can be quite strong, deflect the bees' antennae, which, in turn, provide signals to the brain through specialized organs at their bases. Antenna deflections induced by an electrically charged honey bee wing are about 10 times the size of those that would be caused by airflow from the wing fluttering at the same distance—a sign that electrical fields could be an important signal."

Re:Question for Mr Gil Grissom...

[Anonymous Coward]

Unlikely - the frequencies of the wireless technologies are many orders of magnitude higher than anything associated with a physical wing vibration. The dramatic drop in honeybee population is more likely tied to certain nicotine-derived insecticides [npr.org]. Hmm, an insecticide harming insects? Didn't see that one coming.

Misleading Title

[Fieryphoenix]

Upon reading the summary, I discover the much less amazing story that bees may communicate with other bees using electrical fields. Call me when we discover the sentient electrical fields.

Re:I am shocked

[msauve]

"Bees Communicate With Electric Fields"

So, what do the electric fields have to say? Should we be welcoming our electric field overlords?

Re:Unexplained Collapses???

[Anonymous Coward]

Apparently they fabricate whatever they want, if you pay them enough money.

I wonder if that's true. I should go look it up on Snopes...

Re:I am shocked

[oztiks]

So you're shocked by the fact that Bees use electricity to communicate?

Is that like being puzzled to learn that Mice can find cheese in a maze?

Note to OP:

[rmdingler]

The likelihood of anyone noticing you quoted something in the article is on the order of plucking a single hair from a mosquito's back wearing boxing gloves.