Did you know that bumble bees play ball? A new study at the Queen Mary University in London, UK showed that bumble bees don´t just work, – they also enjoy recreation time playing ball! The unprecedented discovery revealed that bumble bees may play to experience what humans call ´positive feelings´. The researchers placed 45 bumble…
Researchers have discovered that giant honeybees make Mexican waves. The discovery was published in the Journal of Experimental Biology. It shows that the phenomenon also known as ¨shimmering¨ is a defense mechanism to deter predators. The shimmering behavior was observed in Asian giant honeybees, including Apis dorsata. These bees usually build open nests in open…
´Can Bees predict the weather?´ – There are many sayings about animals as weather forecasters, for example, ¨Birds flying high expect a clear sky. When they fly low, expect rain and a blow.¨ But what about honeybees? According to the famous scholar Aristotle they could, but is it really true? Beekeepers are probably the better…
A bacterial microbe can keep honeybees healthy, protecting them from poor nutrition according to a new study published in the International Society for Microbial Ecology Journal. Researchers from Indiana University discovered a specific bacterial microbe that can reduce the effects of nutritional stress on the developing brood. Limited nutrition together with other multiple stressors is…
Selective breeding protects honeybees from Varroa mites – The result of a new study at the University of Exeter has shown that a new breed of honeybees could be the solution for the global fight against varroa mites, the public enemy number one for honeybees. Background – Varroa Mites The tiny, reddish brown Varroa mites…
Bee colonies are threatened by a new variant of a dangerous virus. A team of international scientists discovered a worldwide increase of a new variant of the dangerous deformed wing virus (DWV) that infects honeybees. Transmitted by the Varroa mite, the virus causes a degeneration (atrophy) of the wings that results in death. The Varroa…
Older honeybees can successfully reverse brain aging when they do things in the hive that are usually done by much younger bees. This was discovered by researchers from the US and Norway. These findings could mean that age-related dementia in humans could also be slowed down or treated by social interventions. The study, led by…