Israeli Scientists Say That Plants May Actually Be Able to HEAR GardenersTalking to Them and the Buzz of Approaching Bees

Gardeners who talk to their plants are often dismissed as being a little potty, but now there is evidence that the plants may actually be listening.

Flowers not only hear the buzz of approaching bees, but respond by producing sweeter nectar, biologists at Tel Aviv University have found.

This entices the bees to visit more often, increasing the chance of the plant’s pollen being distributed.

When the scientists played recordings of flying bees to evening primrose flowers, the sugar concentration in the nectar rose by an average 20 per cent within three minutes.

The study, published on the website BioRxiv, said it was the first evidence that plants can respond to sounds in ‘an ecologically relevant way’.