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The strange case of the bandit bumblebees 熊蜂：不可思议的土匪 TO MOST people, bumblebees are charming, slightly absurd creatures that blunderthrough garden and meadow with neither the steely determination of the honeybee nor themalevolent intention of the wasp. 在人们的印象里，熊蜂可爱、友好而又有些令人可笑。它们跌跌撞撞地穿过花园和草场，既不像蜜蜂，有钢铁般的决心;也不似黄蜂，具备恶意的企图。 If you are a plant, though, things look rather differentfor from the point of view of someflowering plants many bumblebees are nothing more than thieves. 不过，如果你是一株植物，你就会从新定义它们。从一些有花植物角度来看，熊蜂是彻头彻尾的贼： They rob them of their nectar and give nothing in return. 它们掠夺花蜜，却未予回报。 Nectar robbery, in which a bumblebeecarves a hole in the side of a flower as a bank robber might cut his way into a vault, wasdiscovered by Charles Darwin. 某些花的形状发生了演化，以促进具有长舌的昆虫为其授粉。昆虫的长舌能探到狭小管道状花的深处。 This technique lets bees get at the nectar of flowers whose shapes have evolved toencourage their pollination by insects with long tongues, which can reach down narrowtubes. | 
