Chapter 272: Working 15 hours a day
"Of course there are bugs on the snowy mountains." Xu Ying snapped his fingers. "An ecosystem is a circle. Small ecological circles will form in any environment."
She stood up and drew a perfect circle in the air with her finger. "Just like our snowy mountains, they may seem cold and desolate, but as long as there's a plant growing tenaciously, there will inevitably be a pollinator collaborating."
The heating in the tent was on high, and the five guests sat around a long wooden table, their faces still showing satisfaction after lunch.
"Insects evolve unique survival techniques in cold environments," Xu Ying said in a clear and pleasant voice. "Some produce antifreeze proteins, while others find sheltered caves and live in groups for warmth. Today, we're meeting this protagonist, a true hard worker on the snowy mountains."
Antifreeze protein: Isn't this just a gimmick for beauty products to make money?
[This thing really exists! ]
Ye Jie gave a look of "I see." "So are we going to meet these little bugs today?"
--"Yes!"
"Please follow me to our workshop!" Xu Ying suddenly announced, and took out a bunch of bronze keys from his pocket like magic, shining in the sun.
"Workshop?"
Everyone looked at each other, and as they followed Xu Ying out of the tent, Su Zhining grabbed a red cashmere shawl and wrapped it around her shoulders.
The mountain wind carried the fragrance of cedar. As the cable car slowly descended, the clouds dispersed and the sunlight dyed the snow-capped peaks golden.
Near the edge of the forest at the foot of the mountain, a few log houses suddenly came into view. Their roofs were covered in thick moss, and curls of smoke rose from their chimneys, resembling cabins in the woods from a fairy tale.
"Isn't it some old scientific expedition address again?"
Su Zhining covered her nose and frowned exaggeratedly, "That observatory from the 1960s this morning, the dust almost gave me an allergic reaction."
Xu Ying smiled without saying anything, and the key made a crisp "click" sound when it was inserted into the keyhole.
The moment the wooden door was pushed open, everyone gasped.
In the 200-square-meter space, hundreds of flowers are in full bloom.
The pink and white tulips stretch gracefully like a ballerina's skirt, the orange and red gerberas seem to be scattered all over the ground like the sunset, and the blue and purple bellflowers sway gently in the breeze.
Sunlight shines through the glass dome, and the dewdrops on the flowers and leaves reflect a rainbow-like halo.
"Wow! So beautiful!"
Ye Jie was the first to rush in.
"There are bees!" she suddenly exclaimed, pointing her trembling finger at the flowers.
The camera immediately followed and saw several chubby bumblebees moving clumsily among the flowers.
Their furry bodies are like wrapped in a layer of golden velvet, and the black and yellow stripes are brighter than those of ordinary bees. Their transparent wings vibrate at a high frequency, making a lower "buzzing" sound than that of ordinary bees.
[Oh my god, it’s a bumblebee!]
[This cured my insect phobia. It’s so cute.]
How can such small wings support such a fat body? Hahahaha
Su Zhining pinched a corner of her shawl and said with disdain, "Aren't these bees too fat? Won't they break the branches?"
Before he could finish his words, a particularly chubby bumblebee landed on the tulip with a "bang". The whole flower immediately bent at 90 degrees, and the petals trembled violently, as if silently accusing it.
Netizens burst into laughter:
[Huahua: I bear a burden that I shouldn’t bear at this age]
[Bumblebee: I just want to collect some honey, Flower: No you don’t want to]
[Flower: Other bees collect honey, but you collect honey and want my life.]
Xu Ying couldn't help but laugh. She reached out and gently lifted the overwhelmed tulip. "That's the unique feature of bumblebees. They weigh ten times as much as ordinary bees, and their nectar-collecting efficiency is over three times higher."
She pointed to a busy bee in the corner. "Look at the pollen basket hanging from its hind legs. It's much bigger than an ordinary bee."
"Everyone says bees are hardworking," Xu Ying said, taking a magnifying glass from her workbench and handing it to Yao Yingzhe, who was standing nearby. "But bumblebees are the true kings of curling. They can work in temperatures as low as 10°C and can even go out in temperatures as low as 0°C, working 15 hours a day. Some species even use muscle tremors to raise their body temperature to keep warm."
Everyone was shocked when they heard the length of the working hours!
[Duo Shao?! 15 hours?!]
Working from 8am to 11pm, I definitely don't want to live anymore.
[Isn’t this just the insect version of 996?]
[Suddenly I feel that my overtime is nothing]
Yao Yingzhe used a magnifying glass to observe a bumblebee rolling around on a gerbera. "They fly so slowly, it must be easy for their predators to catch them, right?"
"Indeed," Xu Ying nodded. "Birds, spiders, and mantises all feed on bees. And mammals like bears and badgers destroy bumblebee nests to obtain the honey."
She took down a hand-drawn illustration prepared by the production team from the wall. "Bee-eaters love to use bumblebees as courtship gifts. A male bird needs to prepare 20 to 30 bumblebees to win the favor of a female bird."
In the picture, colorful birds are holding plump bumblebees in their beaks, and in the background, there are sneaky badgers digging out the beehive.
[Bumblebee: Thank you! The early bird catches the worm, and the early worm gets eaten by the bird.]
[Bee life is tough, having to work 15 hours a day and being treated like a betrothal gift by birds]
[Bumblebee: So I'm just part of your play?]
Ye Jie squatted beside a clump of bluebells and suddenly looked up: "Why have I never seen this little fat boy in the south?"
"Good question." Xu Ying unfolded a map like a magician. "Bumblebees are mainly found in the cold temperate zone above 1,500 meters above sea level. The snow-capped mountains of Xizhou Province and the northeastern forests are their paradise."
She ran her finger over the different colored blocks. "The southern plains have higher temperatures, making them more suitable for common bees."
At that moment, three bumblebees suddenly engaged in a strange dance above a purple tulip. They flew in a straight line, then swung left and right, forming an inverted figure eight. The sunlight shone on the tulip's fur, creating a golden glow.
"Look!" Yao Yingzhe suddenly became excited as if he had discovered a new world. "It's the figure eight dance! Bees use this dance to tell their companions the direction of the nectar source. The angle of the straight flight corresponds to the position of the sun, and the number of swings indicates the distance!"
Xu Ying's eyes lit up: "Teacher Yao is indeed knowledgeable!"
Xu Ying smiled and introduced the venue to the guests, "Please look! 36 pots of blooming flowers are neatly arranged in the four directions of the venue. Next, we're going to have an interesting challenge: by observing the unique 'eight-shaped dance' of bumblebees, we can identify the flowers that actually contain nectar."
"Each guest will receive a bee tag in their own color. When you find a flower, you can insert your own tag to 'occupy' it."
"Ultimately, the guest who 'occupies' the most flowers will become the champion of this segment!"
The staff distributed identification cards of different colors to the four guests.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
