a randy Oliver snip followed by > my comments (well actually some of the comments of my wife)... 

One thing to keep in mind is that the Western honey bee coevolved with
plants native to the Old World, so would be expected to be tuned to the
scents of those that provided the greatest fitness values.  That's likely
why honey bees often prefer introduced Old World plants on other continents.

>as suggest via my wife's reading of this comment 1) circular reasoning and it should be remembered that 2) the European honey bee migrated into Europe (current thinking suggest Africa and Asia) and 3) it evolutionary history of the honeybee began long before it arrived in Europe < which incidentally may date back to the time when the continents do not look anything like they do today. 'Prefer' is one of those terms that I would suggest always makes me want to ask.. 'show me the evidence'. 


All detection thresholds were much
higher than reported concentrations of amino acids in floral nectars. We
conclude that in the foraging and feeding context, honeybees are likely to
detect amino acids through taste rather than olfaction

>as another contributor points out why is the concentration of amino acids in floral nectars even pertinent to this question? The conclusion sounds a bit questionable if not down right contradictory.

Gene in California enjoying the wonderful weather..

 

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