The BEEginnings of the Bee

KingArthur10 writes "The Register-Guard is reporting about the discovery of the oldest known relative of the insect providing sugary goodness to the world. From the Article: 'It's as old as the dinosaurs for sure, and just as extinct. As for size, well, the tiny fossilized bee recently uncovered by an Oregon State University scientist is decidedly unlike a dinosaur, but that hasn't kept it from becoming the buzz of the entomology world. That's because this little bee dates to 100 million years ago, making it the earliest known member of the insect line that later became today's familiar honeybee and the first to show signs that it pollinated flowers. It is helping cement the theory that bees long ago developed a taste for nectar and branched off from meat-eating wasps to pursue a life among the petals.'"

The divergence isn't as far as it seems.

[xC0000005]

Wasps still consume sweet liquids (primarily produced by the brood), wasps still consume (some) pollen. Bees still consume pollen as well but it is fed primarily to the larva, bees primarily live on nectar (not honey). Bee larva consume pollen but I'm curious how they would fare if they were fed masticated insects. The primary difference is in the behavioral wiring. Wasps retain the predator code of conduct, bees not so much.

Re:The divergence isn't as far as it seems.

[xC0000005]

No, I believe instinct is largely hard wired (by definition, sort of, but not entirely - bees that have moving objects in front of their hives are less likely to zip out and confront you if you walk by, so some of that behavior can be desensitized). What I am curious about is whether or not the bee larva (normally fed pollen/nectar by the nurse bees after the first three days) could still subsist on the same material wasps feed the wasp larva. Probably not. It would be interesting though. My point was that bees and wasps, while highly different, still share a large number of traits (beyond the eyes, legs, wings, stings level).