Do bees access nicotine nectar in Hopi tobacco flowers?

Other insect pollinators that visit tobacco-family plants (and other plants that produce nicotine and related compounds as natural insect repellents) do exist, but most are put off by the nicotine in the nectar of the flowers. Hopi tobacco often has a quite high concentration of nicotine in the leaves and a moderate nicotine concentration of 9 percent or lower in the flowers. read more

Nicotine enhances bees’ activity Posted May 20, 2017 The researchers used artificial flowers in a tightly-monitored flight arena in the laboratory to mimic how flowering plants use animals as pollen carriers and reward pollinators with sugars found in floral nectar. read more