• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home News

100 million year old bee trapped in amber is oldest ever evidence of pollination, scientists say

With parasites clinging to it, the find is also the oldest evidence of bee parasitism that still affects them today.

Joe Mellor by Joe Mellor
2020-02-14 12:07
in News, Science
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

A 100 million year old bee covered in pollen and trapped in amber is the oldest ever evidence of pollination, scientists say.

With parasites clinging to it, the find is also the oldest evidence of bee parasitism that still affects them today.

The female bee from Myanmar was preserved in amber and it is possible that the large number of beetle parasites caused the fossilised bee to accidentally fly into the tree resin, according to the researchers.

Scientists from the United States identified the creature as a new family, genus and species.

The findings were published in BioOne Complete and shines a new light on the early days of bees and a key component in evolutionary history and the diversification of flowering plants.

Bees are pollinators and they aid the reproduction of flowering plants around the globe and are ecologically critical as biodiversity promoters.

They are present in the greatest numbers and they are the only pollinator group that feeds exclusively on nectar and pollen throughout their life cycle.

RelatedPosts

Daily Mail bemoans foreigners for not coming here and taking our jobs

Trooping the Colour: ‘Multiple injuries’ reported as stand COLLAPSES

Teacher asks kids what they would do if they were royals for one day – these are the heartwarming responses

Mogg will be pleased! Government staff work in corridors over desks shortage

The mid-Cretaceous bees evolved from apoid wasps, which are carnivores but not much is known about the changes current wasps underwent as they made a dietary transition.

The fossilised bee was classified as Discoscapa apicula part of the family Discoscapidae.

It shares traits with modern bees, including plumose hairs and a rounded pronotal lobe, as well as apoid wasps with their low antennal sockets and certain wing-vein features.

Oregon State University researcher Dr George Poinar Jr. said: “Something unique about the new family that’s not found on any extant or extinct lineage of apoid wasps or bees is a bifurcated scape.

“The fossil record of bees is pretty vast, but most are from the last 65 million years and look a lot like modern bees.

“Fossils like the one in this study can tell us about the changes certain wasp lineages underwent as they became palynivores – pollen eaters.”

Numerous pollen grains on the creature show it had recently been to one or more flowers.

Dr Poinar said: “Additional evidence that the fossil bee had visited flowers are the 21 beetle triungulins – larvae – in the same piece of amber that were hitching a ride back to the bee’s nest to dine on bee larvae and their provisions, food left by the female.

“It is certainly possible that the large number of triungulins caused the bee to accidentally fly into the resin.”

Since you are here

Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.

Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.

Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.

If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.

To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.

The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.

The shop can be found here.

You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending
Abdollah

‘Rescue us’: Afghan teacher begs UK to help him escape Taliban

CHOMSKY: “If Corbyn had been elected, Britain would be pursuing a much more sane course”

What If We Got Rid Of Prisons?

More from TLE

Donbass DVD Review: fear and loathing in Ukraine

Vote Leave illegal spending “sufficient enough” to swing the result of the referendum

Gove denies £355m Brexit support for NI firms is admission of Irish Sea border

Air hostess over drink-fly limit stopped by police just before boarding flight at Heathrow

Restaurant Review – Red’s True Barbecue, London

Evening with Nigel Farage charging up to £190 per ticket ‘cancelled’

Express readers react to news of a ‘Rejoiner revolt’

Baby Trump balloon stabbed & deflated at Alabama appearance

Anti-woke brigade up in arms over Snow White ‘kissing without consent’ dispute

Prince Charles’ Aston Martin courtesy car is going under hammer for huge fee

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.