In a message dated 3/27/2013 10:00:49 A.M. Mountain Daylight Time,  
[log in to unmask] writes:

http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/magazine/apr13/bumblebees_in_space.asp
 
A good friend of mine died last summer.  His name was Robert  Madsen, and 
he was a leaf-cutter bee expert and a superb educator in our tribal  
community colleges.  Some years ago, he took a team of students to Texas  and they 
flew leaf cutter bees in the vomit comet - the plane that climbs, then  
dives, alternating in the climbs from high g forces, to weightlessness in the  
dive.
 
First couple loops, the leaf cutters banged around or hung on for dear  
life.  Students also landed on their heads a few times.
 
However, the bees soon learned to 1) anticipate the climb/dive cycles, and  
2) manipulate in the weightless environment.   They adopted a strategy  of 
moving to the bottom of the plexiglass box that they were in during to the  
high g periods, and then floating, sometimes catching each other in small  
groups, or holding to the sides with one leg during the dive.  By end of  the 
sessions, some even managed to figure out how to fly without losing  
control.  Even saw one pair  mating in weightlessness.
 
Really funny thing was that the bees learned quicker and managed to  
maneuver better in the plane than most of the college students.
 
Jerry
 

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