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Mobility of flowers in the wind has been proposed to affect the performances of pollinators in landing on flowers, nectar extraction, and pollen dispersal. Our study examined the preferences of worker Bombus impatiens Cresson (Hymenoptera: Apidae) for landing on and feeding from immobile or mobile artificial flower. Mobile flowers moved at varied frequencies (0.1–3.0 Hz) and in different directions, horizontal H (left to right wave) and vertical V (from en-face presentation at the lowest point to horizontal presentation at the zenith). We found that the bees showed no preference for mobile or immobile flowers. In general, we found that landing ability (time spent from the bees entering the testing arena to landing and starting to feed on the artificial flower) decreased as frequency (Hz) or speed of motion (cm/second) increased. Directionality of waving affected performance with the bees being able to forage from horizontally moving flowers better than from vertically moving flowers. Experience played a major role in improving individual performances. We also found that the bees could differentiate between horizontally and vertically waving flowers as well as between frequencies or speeds of motion. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Social learning occurs when one individual learns from another, mainly conspecific, often by observation, imitation, or communication. Using artificial flowers,we studied social learning by allowing test bumblebees to (a) see dead bumblebees arranged in foraging positions or (b) watch live bumblebees actually foraging or (c) communicate with nestmates within their colony without having seen foraging. Artificial flowers made from 1.5mL micro centrifuge tubes with closed caps were inserted through the centres of blue 7 cm plastic discs as optical signals through which the bees could not forage. The reinforcer reward syrup was accessible only through holes in the sides of the tubes beneath the blue discs. Two colonies (A and B) were used in tandem along with control (C and D) colonies. No bee that was not exposed (i.e., from the control colonies (C and D)) to social learning discovered the access holes. Inside colony B, we imprisoned a group of bees that were prevented from seeing or watching. Bees that saw dead bumblebees in foraging positions, those that watched nest-mates foraging, and those that had only in-hive communication with successful foragers all foraged successfully. The means of in-hive communication are not understood and warrant intense investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]