Pub Quiz thread

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oldfrenchhorn said:
Hmm. Bees are colour blind for some colours, but can see and go for yellows, whites and blues. So a yellow flower in gardens and in the wild. Next guess Dandelion.
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Nope, not dandelions Frenchie. Both bumble bees and honey bees feed off this plant and it tends to be more of a garden plant in England though it can hop over the garden fence very easily. To give an idea of the time involved - Comfrey (often thought of as a great bumble bee plant) takes 40 minutes to refill a flower after nectar has been taken. The plant I am thinking of does the same in under 2 minutes. Later on the colour of the flower can change to attract other insects.
 
colognehornet said:
Nope, not dandelions Frenchie. Both bumble bees and honey bees feed off this plant and it tends to be more of a garden plant in England though it can hop over the garden fence very easily. To give an idea of the time involved - Comfrey (often thought of as a great bumble bee plant) takes 40 minutes to refill a flower after nectar has been taken. The plant I am thinking of does the same in under 2 minutes. Later on the colour of the flower can change to attract other insects.
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wow
 
Pulmonaria is grown in gardens, and also changes colour. We have some here, but I haven't noticed the bees on them. I have noticed that the two plants we have that attract bees in great numbers are Lavender and Buddleia. Certainly Buddleias seem to attract butterflies after the bees have had their fill.
 
oldfrenchhorn said:
Pulmonaria is grown in gardens, and also changes colour. We have some here, but I haven't noticed the bees on them. I have noticed that the two plants we have that attract bees in great numbers are Lavender and Buddleia. Certainly Buddleias seem to attract butterflies after the bees have had their fill.
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Pulmonaria does indeed change its colour in course of time so maybe it runs in the family.
 
oldfrenchhorn said:
Boraginaceae, so maybe borage, or star flower, but it is quite a large family.
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Borage is what I was looking for Frenchie. Although there are others which are as attractive to bees eg. Lavender or Majoran they produce clusters of flowers whereas the Borage produces single ones. The rate of nectar replacement fluctuates throughout the day - being higher in the early morning and evening - but at peak time the replacement rate is around 2-3 minutes. Over 24 hours the highest production of nectar is found in the Viper's Bugloss (Echium Vulgare) (also a borage family plant) - which maintains its production constant throughout the whole day - technically this is probably the most bee friendly plant there is, though it is easier for bumble bees to feed from than for honey bees. There are other plants which are quicker but they are tropical and are polinated by humming birds. Over to you.
 
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That is indeed the one. The original is housed in Paris. I can think of one or two groups that I would describe as less musical.
 
oldfrenchhorn said:
I can think of one or two groups that I would describe as less musical.
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Only one or two? :)

Sticking with the musical theme - recent research has shown that humans are not alone in creating music with a rhythmic beat. Whilst there are other animals that are known to 'bob along' to musical beats, only one other species has been found making it's own beat, and using a tool to do so. Which species?
 
colognehornet said:
Borage is what I was looking for Frenchie. Although there are others which are as attractive to bees eg. Lavender or Majoran they produce clusters of flowers whereas the Borage produces single ones. The rate of nectar replacement fluctuates throughout the day - being higher in the early morning and evening - but at peak time the replacement rate is around 2-3 minutes. Over 24 hours the highest production of nectar is found in the Viper's Bugloss (Echium Vulgare) (also a borage family plant) - which maintains its production constant throughout the whole day - technically this is probably the most bee friendly plant there is, though it is easier for bumble bees to feed from than for honey bees. There are other plants which are quicker but they are tropical and are polinated by humming birds. Over to you.
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Yes very interesting.
 
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