Bees put to work lugging pesticides to flowers

• Autores: Olivia Solon
• Localización: New scientist, ISSN 0262-4079, Nº. 3045, 2015, pág. 13
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • They're not called worker bees for nothing. Bumblebees buzz from plant to plant collecting food, and plans are afoot to give them another task while they do it--carrying pesticides to where they are needed. Bee Vectoring Technologies in Mississauga, Canada, has opened a commercial production plant this month in the hope that the tactic will lure farmers away from indiscriminate crop spraying. The idea involves placing a tray of organic pesticide powder inside a commercially bred hive. The powder contains a substance to help it stick to bees' legs and a strain of Clonostachys rosea fungus that is harmless to these insects but attacks crop diseases and pests. Here, Olson discusses the effects of using commercially bred insects.