News > Honey bees more faithful to their flower patches than bumble bees

Honey bees more faithful to their flower patches than bumble bees

A study comparing honey bees and bumble bees found that honey bees are more loyal to specific flower patches, with 76% returning to the same patch compared to 47% of bumble bees. Bumble bees showed more loyalty to larger flower patches, while honey bees' behaviour was unaffected by patch size. Differences in patch fidelity may be due to bumble bees' explorative foraging behaviour and honey bees' communication system.