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Orchid bees have something in common with humans but, so far as is known, no other animals. What is this, and why do the bees do it?
Question
#90267. Asked by Baloo55th. (Dec 24 07 5:10 PM)
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Baloo55th
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Yes, they do blend perfumes, but there's still why to get.
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star_gazer
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The Bumblebee Orchid (Ophrys bombyliflora) ("Bumblebee Flower Eyebrow") is a typical example. It has flowers that look and smell so much like female Bumble Bees that males flying nearby are irresistibly drawn in by this chemical signal, stimulating them sexually. The insect gets so excited that he starts to copulate with the flower.
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bumblebee_Orchid
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Baloo55th
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Sorry, that's trickery by the plant not the bee blending perfumes. Around here, it's the Bee Orchid that does that http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophrys_apifera (Other orchids trick flies.) It's orchid bees we're looking at, not bee orchids.....
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queproblema
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Well, it sounds to me as if the males use the scent to attract females, a la Brut or British Sterling, or, heaven forbid, Old Spice. Or perhaps it just makes the males feel, well, macho. The jury's out on how much the scent affects the females; maybe the self-confident guy who feels good about himself wins out in spite of, not because of, his reeking aftershave.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euglossini
Orchid bees aren't lavender, by the way; they visit orchids.
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Baloo55th
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Is Old Mice still going? There is a specific reason why these bees do it. Technically, humans don't need to, but the bees do.
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Baloo55th
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Mighn't have got so far yet, this one. Apparently the male orchid bees produce no pheremones and have to mix their own.
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