Vibrating Magnets Help Male Bees Attract Females From Different Subspecies

Plants and Animals





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Red mason bees mating. Taina Conrad

Female red mason bees, Osmia bicornis, from the U.K. don’t usually mate with males of the same species from Germany. It’s in the way he vibrates. Males living in different regions vibrate their thorax differently. But with the help of magnets, German males can mimic the moves of their British counterparts and successfully copulate with British females.