"At least three species of bumblebees [Bombus terrestris] use their mouthparts to snip little confetti bits out of plant foliage, researchers report in the May 22 Science. This foliage biting gets more common when there’s a pollen shortage ... Yet in lab tests, tomato plants punctured five to 10 times by pollen-deprived bees bloomed 30 days earlier on average than undamaged plants. ... The bees ... cut several holes in the leaves of each plant using their mandibles and proboscises. ... But the speed-up time varied by plant species. For instance, bee-nipped black mustard (Brassica nigra) bloomed only about 16 days early. ... but the ones punctured by the bees flowered weeks earlier than those cut by the scientists, suggesting that chemicals in the insects’ saliva may be involved as well. "
Pollen-deprived bumblebees bite leaves and may speed up plant blooms | Science News In a pollen shortage, bees can make tomatoes bloom early by nipping foliage
Bumblebees Bite Plants to Force Them to Flower (Seriously) - Scientific American The behavior could be an evolutionary adaptation that lets bees forage more easily
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