Do geomagnetic storms change the behaviour of the stingless bee guiruçu (Schwarziana quadripunctata)?
Six behavioural experiments were carried out to investigate the magnetic field effects on the nest-exiting flight directions of the honeybee Schwarziana quadripunctata (Meliponini). No significant differences resulted during six experiment days under varying geomagnetic field and the applied static inhomogeneous field (about ten times the geomagnetic field) conditions. A surprising statistically significant response was obtained on a unique magnetic storm day. The magnetic nanoparticles in these bees, revealed by ferromagnetic resonance, could be involved in the observed effect of the geomagnetic storm.
Esquivel
Darci M S
DM
Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas, R Xavier Sigaud 150, 22290-180, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. darci@cbpf.br
Wajnberg
E
E
do Nascimento
F S
FS
Pinho
M B
MB
Lins de Barros
H G P
HG
Eizemberg
R
R
D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees / Q000502:physiology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D017753:Ecosystem; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields; D008685:Meteorological Concepts