What's a Bee Doing With a Mustache?

Norden first spotted this behavior on a Maryland farm where these common native bees were visiting a patch of parsnips. The males chewed on the plants' leaves and stems, stopping frequently to push parsnip perfume into their mustaches. Then they mixed the liquid with saliva and rubbed it on other plants and a nearby car bumper, marking an oval-shaped territory that attracted females.

Back in the Lab
Using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to study the bee, Batra and Norden realized that the mustache was unique to this species. The hairs were densely packed and the tips flattened, which helps them absorb plant juices more readily.

SEMs shoot a narrow beam of electrons over a specimen's surface and can magnify external structures up to 100,000 times. "There's an art to this science," says Norden. "To correctly interpret what you're viewing, it's important to know what animal part, magnification, and angle you're working with. Sometimes you even see something new to science."