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GMO crop flowers attract bees

Make things like almond flowers glow with near-UV fluorescent protein to attract bees more efficiently
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There are kits that allow amateur experimenters to make plants glow with green fluorescent protein [link]

I think i read that bees prefer certain colors of flowers, contrasting colors, and that further, they use UV markings on flowers to specifically find them.

If bees were 20% more efficient at pollinating commercial crops it would be beneficial.

There is a near UV/purple fluorescent protein as well as other colors. Customizing the colors and markings of crop plants could be a new thing.

There is even the possibility of upping the nutrient content of the nectar, which might be good for bees as well.

beanangel, May 25 2018

make magazine GFP plants https://makezine.co...own-glowing-plants/
[beanangel, May 25 2018]

[link]






       More Frankenstein crops, and now the potential for a strain of toxic bees to emerge adds to the horror. Max and his fungal appendage 8th of 7 will love.
xenzag, May 25 2018
  

       20% is when the almond growers of California get to save a noticeable amount of money, about $100k per farm, on trucked-in bees.
beanangel, May 25 2018
  

       // Max and his fungal appendage 8th of 7 will love //   

       You completely misunderprehend the nature of our mutually beneficial relationship, [xen].   

       And yes, we certainly do like the idea, although it doesn't give enough detail on the sales and marketing of the up-issued bees to impoverished and desperate subsistence farmers in far-away hot countries, yielding a truly awesome ROCE and bringing the Singularly a small but useful step nearer.
8th of 7, May 25 2018
  

       Monsanto should grow these flowers.   

       They'll attract bees, which can be sprayed with Roundup.   

       Then the toxic, Roundup-mutated Frankenbees can fly away in search of as-yet-unsubjugated lands.   

       When they get there, they'll seek out the nearest indigenous, nature-loving farmer, and brutally pollinate all his avocado and quinoa plants.   

       Now Monsanto just need to send in an army of lawyers and geneticists with six-figure salaries each.   

       Once they've proved that the plants were pollinated by the patented bees, Monsanto can sue the farmer into oblivion for all the £2.39 he's worth!   

       How could anyone possibly object to this highly profitable business model?
Wrongfellow, May 25 2018
  

       If there's a way of encoding the writ in the bee's DNA (c'mon, [MB], everyone's waiting) then the world is the bivalve mollusc of your choice.   

       <gleeful sniggering/>
8th of 7, May 25 2018
  

       //If there's a way of encoding the writ in the bee's DNA (c'mon, [MB], everyone's waiting) //   

       Nowadays, it's not especially difficult to put whatever you want into whatever you want wherever you want. Just send me the text file, your preferred encryption algorithm, and at least one bee - a queen would be a wise choice. Oh, and the money, obviously. I could do it for about £30K, but since it's you we'll call it a round £100K.
MaxwellBuchanan, May 25 2018
  

       Do you take Amex ? Oh silly, of course you do ...   

       // It’s the patterning, not the UV //   

       Does that also work for the (thankfully) exceedingly rare Brian Sewell Pompous Bee ?
8th of 7, May 25 2018
  

       //Do you take Amex ?// I can do you a 50% discount if the bee's called Eric.
MaxwellBuchanan, May 25 2018
  
      
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