Homing pigeons versus bees - which is the fastest?

Spotted on the BBC site, an item about a competition held in Hamme, Germany, some years ago.

A pigeon fancier and a bee-keeper decided to settle their argument about which species would be the fastest to return home.

Bees and pigeons were released from the same site, 3 1/2 miles from the 'home', at the same time. The bees had a slight disadvantage, because they were first rolled in flour to make them easily identifiable.

The first bee to arrived 25 seconds before the first pigeon, another two bees arrived before the second pigeon and at that point nobody bothered to count any more.

Well done bees!

~'.'~

Bees use polyurethane and polyethylene polymers as nest materials.

Article taken directly from Science Daily  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140211103340.htm I thought it was interesting.

A new study by a University of Guelph graduate and a University of Guelph scientist reveals that some bees use bits of plastic bags and plastic building materials to construct their nests. The research was published recently in the journal Ecosphere.

It's an important discovery because it shows bees' resourcefulness and flexibility in adapting to a human-dominated world, says lead author Scott MacIvor, a doctoral student at York University and a 2008 University of Guelph graduate.