# Do bees know which plants have alread be checked by other bees?



## flyin-lowe (May 15, 2014)

I have a patch of clover in my yard I was watching several bees today. I noticed sometimes they would land on a plant and as soon as they hit it they would fly to another. Some others they would spend a minute or two on foraging. I didn't know if they had a quick way to tell that a particular plant has already had bees on it or if they can just tell that quick if that particular plant has anything to provide.


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## burns375 (Jul 15, 2013)

I don't think its necessarily that a bee was there, but a lack of nectar. I think they can smell it but not sure about that. Im sure you can find something on google or within search feature on website.


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## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

They can smell the footprint left by previous visitors. That is why we despise Lovebugs in Florida, besides the mess they leave on your car. The bees will ignore flowers the Lovebugs have recently visited.


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## DrJeseuss (May 28, 2015)

AmericasBeekeeper said:


> That is why we despise Lovebugs in Florida, besides the mess they leave on your car.
> 
> 
> > Curse those buggers! When I lived there, I despised those things. I'm so glad they don't live this far north!!


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## Dunkel (Jun 12, 2009)

I read a study back in the winter in which they were looking at the static charge created by the pollinators and the ability to sense it. 

It was this NPR report o a study http://www.npr.org/2013/02/22/172611866/honey-its-electric-bees-sense-charge-on-flowers Kind of interesting.


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## lukusmama (2 mo ago)

I read a few years ago that the flower gives off a charge. it's either an electrical charge or static electricity. as the bees fly over the flower it is sensing the charge coming off of the flower. I thought it was pretty amazing.


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## William Bagwell (Sep 4, 2019)

In before the anti thread bumpers  Interesting to me for not only the content, but also know the OP from the Bat House forum where we met as well as purplemartin.org where he is still active. Or was a few months ago last time I was there...


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Bees mark the ones they have worked to save other foragers having to check all the flowers.


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