Beilstein J. Nanotechnol.2023,14, 850–856, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.69
artificial leaves were used to investigate the influence of wax chemistry and surface wettability on the development of Blumeria graminis, the pathogenic wheat powdery mildew.
In “Interaction between honeybee mandibles and propolis”, Saccardi et al. [12] report on the honeybee propolis, a substance used by
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Figure 1:
Biological archetype and eponym of the lotus effect: The sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera). a) Photo ...
Beilstein J. Nanotechnol.2022,13, 958–974, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.84
hypothetically could have developed evolutionary anti-adhesive strategies. The honeybee (Apis mellifera) was identified as an analogue model since it collects and processes propolis, which largely consists of collected tree resin. Propolis is a sticky substance used by bees to seal their hive and protect the
indicate that the medial surface of the mandible is covered with a fluid substance that reduces propolis adhesion. First results suggested that the surface pattern does do not have a direct effect on propolis adhesion.
Keywords: adhesion; Apis mellifera; bee mandibles; honeybee; propolis; Introduction
development process that led to the anatomical investigation of honeybee mandibles.
The hypothesis is that animal species that regularly have close contact with resinous plants or even actively harvest resins may have developed counter-stickiness strategies. This is because animals that permanently stick to a
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Figure 1:
Bee propolis. (A) Raw propolis as collected from the hive. (B) Homogenised propolis powder. (C) Con...