Five fascinating facts, part two: Bees
We’re back for part two of our fascinating facts deep dive! This time we’re delving into the amazing world of bees.
1. Worker bees can take on several different roles during their short lives - including cleaner, babysitter and undertaker!
Worker bees are all female and are responsible for different tasks depending on their age. Young worker bees stay inside the hive to clean and polish the cells from which they have emerged. After a few days, they take on another important housekeeping role - undertakers! It’s important that any dead bees are removed before they threaten the health of the hive. Next, worker bees must feed and care for the developing larvae before it’s finally time for them to take flight and begin foraging for nectar, pollen and water. Phew….they certainly are busy bees!
2. When older honey bees take on tasks usually handled by younger bees, the aging of their brains is effectively reversed!
Researchers at Arizona State University and Norwegian University of Life Sciences have discovered that older bees who take on tasks inside the hive (usually carried out by younger bees), experience a rejuvenation of their brain. During their research, scientists noted a change in the proteins in the bees’ brains and an ability to re-learn how to complete certain tasks. A very exciting discovery for those researching treatment against dementia. This article is thoroughly recommended for finding out more!
3. Honeybees use movement known as a ‘waggle dance’ to direct their nestmates towards the best source of food!
Ethologist Karl Ritter von Frisch was the first person to decode the ‘waggle dance.’ When a honey bee discovers a good source of nectar or pollen, they return to the hive, desperate to share the good news and recruit others to help them to collect these important resources. The direction and duration of the figure-of-eight movements give the other bees information about the direction and distance to the flowers or sources of water.
Image source: Bee Dance - This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license.
4. Insect pollination is worth around £690 million to UK crops each year!
If humans were to take on this role instead it would cost us an average of £1.8 billion each year, and it certainly wouldn’t be an easy or a quick task! That’s why it’s so important that we look after our pollinators - so that they will carry on providing this essential, free service!
5. Honey bees beat their wings over 200 times per second!
That’s a lot of beats per second! Did you know that it’s the rapid beating of the wings which cause bees to buzz? Scientists used to think that bees had rigid wings - only able to move up and down - but after watching slow-motion video recordings of honey bees in action, they realised that they are able to rotate and twist their wings during flight. To do this, special muscles cause the thorax to squeeze both up and down and left to right.
Image source: © Arizona Board of Regents / ASU Ask A Biologist. Link to article: How do bees fly?