A Study Into Their Feeding Preferences - 1348 Words

The importance of bees to our agriculture merits a study into their feeding preferences. Bees pollinate a large proportion of crops and without them there would be a rapid decline in crop production. The connection between bee feeding preferences and flower pigmentation is examined using Viola cornuta. Three color variations were used including dark violet, light violet, and white flowers. Each variation was observed for ten minutes in one minute intervals and this was repeated in ten different trials starting at 1:00PM at Tallahassee Nursery. The trend resulting from the data showed strongest preference for the most pigmented dark violet flowers and weakest preference for the least pigmented white flowers. There are many factors to take†¦show more content†¦On the spectral range chart for bees a large portion of their visual range is shades of blue and purple (Riddle, 2016). The aim of this study is to observe how color affects the feeding preferences of bees in the wild. The spectral range of the bee suggests that bees will prefer violet colored flowers and more specifically highly pigmented violet flowers. Due to this it is suspected that bees will prefer to feed on dark purple colored Violas cornuta over the light purple and white varieties of Viola cornuta. It could also occur that bees will feed equally across dark purple, light purple, and white Viola cornuta color groups. Methods Three pigment levels of Violas cornuta including dark violet, light violet, and white flower variations were used. In an outdoor nursery setting the plants were studied in five by five rows of plants and the plots were located next to each other. A total of thirty minutes was spent observing the plants at the set time of 1:00PM. Each pigment variation was observed for ten minutes in one minute intervals. The number of bees that land and feed on the particular variant being observed was recorded. The mean number of bees on each pigment variation after ten observation periods was calculated. A one-tail ANOVA and a post hoc Tukey test was used to analyze the data. Results The total number of bees present on a color variation (dark violet, light violet, and white) observed across ten trials is shown in Figure 1. TheShow MoreRelatedFood Texture And Taste Effect On Acceptance And Preference Of Food932 Words   |  4 PagesVegetables, and Noncore Foods Tried at Age 14 Months and Food Preferences, Dietary Intake Patterns, Fussy Eating Behavior, and Weight Status at Age 3.7 Years† by Mallan, Fildes, Magarey, and Daniels, they study the exposure to higher amounts of vegetables, noncore foods (low nutrients) and fruits at 14 months of age to see if it is connected to the consumption of these foods, as well as to the child’s preference for these foods. 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