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Small bumblebee workers vital as colony insurance

Original: # theBeeAt3 Basic bee facts every day at 3pm. 60. Larger female bumblebee workers are better at all tasks so why then ar

A bee expert's daily fact series explains why bumblebee colonies keep small workers even though larger females perform all tasks better. The answer: small workers are more resilient to starvation, acting as a kind of insurance policy for the colony in case of nectar shortage. The post is part of a daily series of basic bee facts.

Why now: Part of a popular daily bee-fact series, and the counterintuitive survival value of small workers is an engaging science tidbit

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• # theBeeAt3 Basic bee facts every day at 3pm. 60. Larger female bumblebee workers are better at all tasks so why then are there small workers? Small workers are vital as they are more resilient to starvation: a colony insurance policy of sorts in case of nectar shortage. # bees… · thebeeguy@mastodon.ie · 20

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