Jun 6, 2023
7th Grader Successfully Finds Way to Save Honeybee Populations
Posted by Omuterema Akhahenda in categories: food, neuroscience
While there are many things that negatively affect bees, Hu says exposure to pesticides prevents them from feeding and sustaining the colony.
“The pesticides may prevent the bees from being able to do the daily functions of the hive,” Hu said. “So, for example, they might get lost on their way to finding food, or they might not be able to remember where the sites that they found food were and not be able to communicate to the other bees where the food was.”
At 11 years old, Hu found that tea polyphenols and caffeine could repair the honeybee’s learning and memory. Polyphenols are compounds that stimulate the brain. Hu is now 13 years old.