Study
Mechanosensory hairs in bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) detect weak electric fields
Sutton, Gregory P.; Clarke, Dominic; Morley, Erica L.; Robert, Daniel
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2016
Laser vibrometry measured how bumblebee antennae and body hairs moved in weak electric fields, and nerve recordings tested which of those movements produced a neural response.
- Studied in
- Bombus terrestris
- Sample size
- bees measured with laser vibrometry and nerve recording
Body hairs deflected far more than the antennae in weak fields, and hair movement produced neural activity — identifying the hairs as the likely receptor.
What it means
The authors' reading, and ours. Where they differ, that difference is the point.
How the authors put it
Filiform body hairs are the mechanism by which bumblebees detect floral electric fields.
How NatureHQ reads it
The mechanism study that completes the previous one. It is a good illustration of why NatureHQ separates an ability from the mechanism behind it: "bumblebees sense electric fields" and "they do it with their hair, which is deflected like a tiny antenna" are different pieces of knowledge, and the second is the one that makes the first believable.
- Physiological measurements on restrained animals.
- Behavioural relevance in free flight is inferred rather than measured.
What this study is used for on NatureHQ
One study can inform several subjects. Here is everywhere this one is cited.
Published by: Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesPublished in PNAS.
doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1601624113
This reference was resolved automatically against Crossref and OpenAlex on 2026-08-11.
NatureHQ summarises research in its own words and does not reproduce published text. Reviewed 2026-08-09.