For some women, the scent of aftershave can make a male appear incomparably more attractive.
And it appears the same is true of bees, according to recent research.
Scientists have discovered that a species of insect found in countries such as Costa Rica and Brazil is more successful at mating when it wears a ‘perfume’.
They cache several odours in hind-leg “pockets” before enticing a partner.
Researchers from Germany’s Ruhr-Universität Bochum conducted an experiment in which they exposed some male orchid bees to the scents of various blossoms, while others were left untreated.
The ‘perfumed’ bees produced more progeny and mated with more females than their untreated counterparts.
The researchers wrote in the journal Current Biology, “Our results demonstrate that male-acquired perfumes are sexual signals that encourage females to mate.”
These findings show for the first time that male cologne affects female orchid pollinators’ mating preferences.
Female bees approach males downwind, suggesting smell may motivate their sexual approaches.
During this study, the researchers observed a female bee flying back and forth between two other bees before deciding to reproduce with the one that had a perfume.
Male orchid bees produce expensive perfume due to the rarity and unpredictability of perfume in nature.
This allows perfumes to evolve as authentic indicators of survival, foraging success, cognitive ability, or competitive strength.
They added that females who respond to the fragrance are essentially selecting men who express that they are “fit.”
These wild bees collect volatile substances from flowers, fruit, resin, sap, mushrooms, and even faeces.
They cross their legs and spray the smell with wing vibrations after storing it in “pouches” on their hind legs.
