Fact of the week: No country for dummies

This is a new segment when I write about some new factoid.

One thing about factoid about social insects is that the concept of the greater good. Everyone (Read minion) serves the "Greater Good".

So you understand my amazement when I learn that honeybees hate to be smack on the head. When honeybees gather nectar from Alfalfa flowers, the flowers hit the bee's head. The pollen-carrying keel of the alfalfa flower trips and strikes the head of the bee.

But the bees also learn overtime to gather nectar from the side of the flower. This stops the headbanging mechanism from triggering. The bees, unfortunately, are not able to communicate this trick to the rest of the colony so young bees still have to learn the trick.

Now, there is a catch with the bees getting smarter, The Alfalfa flower will not be able to procreate if the pollen is not spreading. So other species of bees have to do the work. (Or more new colonies have to do the work.)

The bottom line is that Serving the Greater Good does not mean unnecessary suffering.