Electricity-riding worms hitchhike on bees

Researchers have discovered that tiny nematodes, including the famous Caenorhabditis elegans, use electrical fields to disperse far afield into new habitats. The worms can piggyback on electrical fields to jump a surprising distance, such as onto the back of a bumblebee for a ride to a new locale. The researchers found that electrostatic force helps power the worms' leaps, and they can hitchhike on passing bees to disperse through the environment. Further studies on the electric field and the behavior of C. elegans are expected to provide more details on the electrical ethology of microorganisms.