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Send in the troops against caterpillars
Although the weather is still trying its best to push below freezing, gardeners have been advised that they can force caterpillars to stop munching on their vegetables by sending in a team of specialist predators.
According to a study cited in the Telegraph and published in Current Biology, the bee can act as a garden bouncer, expelling any unwanted caterpillars and protecting plants.
While bees buzz around the garden, the beating of their wings whips up a mini-storm, sending tiny bursts of wind towards hungry caterpillars.
The little pests have hairs that pick up on these nuances and cause them to become stressed as they sense danger.
This in turn causes them to stop eating, according to Biozentrum Universitys Jurgen Tautz.
"Our findings indicate for the first time that visiting honeybees provide plants with a totally unexpected advantage," he said.
"They not only transport pollen from flower to flower, but in addition also reduce plant destruction by herbivores."
According to the Royal Horticultural Society, plants located in a sunny place that is sheltered from the wind and rain are most likely to attract bees.
Visitor Comments
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