5 Incredible Things About Bees That’ll Make You Want to Protect Them

If you have been watching the news, you may have heard that bees are in serious trouble. In early September, a lot of bees were lost in South Carolina. When four Zika cases were found in Dorchester County, they sprayed pesticides from the air to eliminate mosquitoes that transmit the virus. Unfortunately, Flowertown Bee Farm and Supply was in the sprayed area and lost 46 hives.

Recently, a native Hawaiian bee colony was added to the U.S. list of threatened species. These seven native Hawaiian bees, which are native only to Hawaii, are the first bees to be protected under the Endangered Species Act to preserve them from extinction.

These instances are just a subset of a much larger issue, sadly. Bee colonies have been dwindling for more than 60 years. Their population has decreased by half since the 1940s, primarily because of colony collapse disorder, primarily. This issue is produced by a host of factors, primarily industrialized agriculture. Pesticides, climate change, parasites, and insufficient nutrition have compromised their health and longevity.

We must pay close attention because bees are very vital in a healthy world. And also, they are just incredible creatures. These five facts about bees will surprise and inspire you.

1.       They Can Remember Human Faces

We, like bees, apply a method known as "configural processing" to identify faces. This is where they combine those eye, nose, and mouth features to create one whole image. In 2010, a Journal of Experimental Biology study taught the method to bees. The bees identified several human faces at a 75 percent rate.

2. Bees Can Learn and Share New Skills

Researchers at London's Queen Mary University discovered bees can be trained. They used a string with a treat attached to train bees to pull for a reward. 23 out of 40 bees were trained. And better still, the trained bees trained others. In another experiment, new bees were trained by observation—60 percent learned.

3. Swarming Bees Are Not a Danger

Bees make humans fearful due to their stinging, but bees sting not for entertainment. When bees swarm, it may appear frightening, yet it is not dangerous. Swarming is the way bees travel safely from one place to another. They cluster for protection, not to frighten humans.

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4. They Use Smell to Socialize and Mate

"Odorant receptors" assist bees in smelling objects by transmitting information to their brain. They play a significant role in social life and identification of other bees—particularly for mating. Male bees can detect the smell of a queen bee from up to 200 feet or more using these specialized receptors.

5. Bees Keep Our Environment Alive

Bees contribute to the growth of plants by transporting pollen. That is, crops and flowers. In fact, nearly 90 percent of everything we consume relies on pollinators. That only two percent of the diversity of bees contributes to 80 percent of the pollination of crops is staggering. Bees are needed so that plants can produce new plants, and nature would fail.

There are easy things to do to allow bees to thrive. First, let them be (yes, I couldn't help the pun). Do not destroy or crush their hives. If you see a hive in your area, call a beekeeper to safely relocate it. If a bee flies into your house, guide it outside. Do not use chemical pesticides and employ organic pesticides when possible. You can also plant bee-friendly gardens in your residence or in neighborhood parks. Lastly, contributing money to groups that work to save bees can help a great deal.

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