Frequency response characteristics of bumblebees to vertical visual oscillations were measured and analyzed. We measured the vertical force of the bees at four oscillation frequencies (0.9, 1.8, 3.6 and 7.4 Hz), and summarized their response characteristics in terms of amplitude and phase differences. The amplitude was almost constant throughout the examined frequency domain, whereas the phase ...

Bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) use information from surrounding electric fields to make foraging decisions. Electroreception in air, a nonconductive medium, is a recently discovered sensory capacity of insects, yet the sensory mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we investigate two putative electric field sensors: antennae and mechanosensory hairs. Examining their mechanical and neural response, we...

Like their diurnal relatives, Megalopta genalis use visual information to control flight. Unlike their diurnal relatives, however, they do this at extremely low light intensities. Although Megalopta has developed optical specializations to increase visual sensitivity, theoretical studies suggest that this enhanced sensitivity does not enable them to capture enough light to use visual informatio...

Article info: Received: 26 November 2012 Accepted: 28 February 2013 ABSTRACT Medicinal plants have been intensively studied as a source of antitumor compounds. Due to the beneficial climate conditions Bulgarian herbs have high pharmacological potential. Currently, the antitumor effect of the Bulgarian medicinal plant Tribulus terrestris L. on human cancer cell lines is not studied. The main act...

Insect chitin possessing shell-like structure was prepared from the bumblebee corpses by a consequent treatment with 1M HCl and 1M NaOH. The bumblebee chitin was compared with crustacean (shrimp) chitin by using elemental analysis, Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) and solid-state (13)C cross-polarization magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (CP/MAS)-NMR spectroscopy and confocal mi...

The ability of bumblebees to locate their nest site following artificial displacement was investigated. Bombus terrestris (Hymenoptera: Apidae) workers were marked with numbered tags and displaced up to 15 km from their nest. Bees returned from distances of up to 9.8 km, with the proportion of bees returning declining with distance of the release site from the nest. Bees were slow to return to ...

Bombus terrestris, commonly known as the buff-tailed bumblebee, is native to Europe, parts of Africa and Asia. It is commercially bred for use as a pollinator of greenhouse crops. Larvae pupate within a silken cocoon that they construct from proteins produced in modified salivary glands. The amino acid composition and protein structure of hand drawn B. terrestris, silk fibres was investigated t...