ZAP’S FACTS!
FLOWERS

Bee orchids trick male bees into trying to marry them.

The flower looks AND smells like a female bee - confused males try to mate with it and end up dusted in pollen.

2 min read
Bee orchids trick male bees into trying to marry them.
THE FULL STORY

The bee orchid is a beautiful little flower that looks like it has a fat, fuzzy bee sitting on top. That’s not an accident. The flower has evolved to mimic a female bee so closely that males of one particular species fly over and try to mate with it.

The mimicry isn’t just visual. The flower also releases chemicals called pheromones that smell almost exactly like a real female bee in the mood for love. As the confused male wriggles around on the petals, two sticky packets of pollen glue themselves to his body. He flies off, still searching, and dumps that pollen on the next bee orchid he tries to romance.

Even better, the orchid’s fake pheromones are sometimes more attractive than the real thing. Studies have shown male bees will sometimes ignore a real female bee sitting right next to a bee orchid. That’s harsh.

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