Compensation for wind drift by bumble-bees

Abstract

In his classic studies on honeybee navigation, von Frisch had to rely on qualitative visual observations of the bees' flight paths, but nevertheless reached the surprising conclusion that bees seem to anticipate lateral wind drift and compensate by flying in shallow curves on the upwind side of their intended tracks¹,². We have investigated wind compensation^1,2,3 with much greater precision by using radar⁴,⁵ to record the flight trajectories of individual bumble-bees (Bombus terrestris L.) foraging over arable farmland⁶. Flights typically covered distances of 200 to 700 metres, but bees maintained direct routes between the forage areas and their nests, even in winds with a strong cross-track component. Some bees overcompensated slightly, as described by von Frisch, but most stayed on course byheading partly into the wind and moving obliquely over the ground.