ENVS 2210 Lecture Notes - 2018 Lecture 1 - Beekeeping, Propolis, Social animal
20 Sep 2018
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Document Summary
Their life is fascinating and a challenge to understand. We have much to learn about and from them, d. m. caron: excellent biological study subjects. They are studied for what they can teach us about ourselves. Humans compare bees with humankind: busy as a bee, lazy like a drone . Combs built with perfect hexagonal cells to withstand heavy loads and rear bees. Bees can tell sister workers where food sources are located. Mapping of genes associated to characteristics of human interest: aggressive behavior, hormone regulation, alcoholism, etc. It is easy to keep bee colonies and have study subjects available when needed. Nature photographers include them in their pictures, documentaries, etc. They are colorful and available: beneficial and productive insects. Highly valued for the pollination value they provide. Growers have become more reliant on honey bees to pollinate their crops (> 2 billion dollars in crops) Propolis: resinous material collected by the bees from plants.
