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+--- Thread: Robo-Bees, not really the answer (/showthread.php?tid=3477)
Robo-Bees, not really the answer - Catherine - 03-05-2018
Japanese researchers have been developing robo-bees as a solution to the problem of bees dying off. The idea is to have the robot bees do the pollinating.
https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://www.greenoptimistic.com/robobees-japan-pollinate-earth-20180301/&ct=ga&cd=CAEYACoUMTY3NzE3NTMwOTAyMzcxNzg4NzMyGjZlMTczNzg5NmRmMGNkZTc6Y29tOmVuOlVT&usg=AFQjCNH_W_EckCMCDxlrnGWJlsqsxbUOyg
It had to happen. We have robo-flowers so why not robo-bees. Maybe the robo-bees could pollinate the robo-flowers and we can concentrate on saving real bees.
I think this project underestimates how much bees actually do. There is no way a robo-bee could keep up to a real bee. It would also lack judgment. Bees know which flowers to pollinate and when. They stay with one species at a time so the pollen actually is the right pollen to fertilize the flower. Bees remember where flowers are and can communicate it to other bees. They also make honey and wax. I would like to see a robo-bee do that!