How does a bee see the world? Find out with the University of Bristol this weekend
We all know that bees love flowers but did you know that electrostatic charges and heat play a big role in pollination?
You can find out about the fascinating world of pollinators at the University of Bristol marquee in the Urban Jungle in Millennium Square this weekend. Michael Harrap, a PhD student of Dr Heather Whitney at the University Biological Sciences department, spoke to us about what to expect. Michael said:
“We’ll be using 3D goggles to show how a bee sees the world, as they see colours differently to humans. We also have thermal cameras that can pick up the heat given off by flowers. Heat is beneficial to pollinators as they need to stay warm, so they are attracted to flowers that give off warmth.
“Electrostatic charges are also key to pollination and we’ll have an interactive activity to demonstrate how this works – the different charges of bees and flowers play an important role in pollination.
“We’re trying to get across that pollinators have a number of different ways of ‘seeing’ flowers, many of which we’re not aware of.”
Other interactive stalls at the University of Bristol marquee include a display looking at the circadian rhythms of plants and one focused on all the different kinds of animal homes, from bird’s nests and spiders webs to the creatures that might share your house like cheese mites, and even those that use people as homes – the parasites of the world.
You can find the University of Bristol marquee in the Urban Jungle zone in Millenium Square
