Become a Member
Facebook
YouTube
Instagram
Pinterest
  • New Plants
    • New Plants Search
    • Green Thumb Award Winners
  • Year Of Plants
    • Year of the Amaryllis
      • Amaryllis Pictures
    • Year of the Broccoli
      • Broccoli Pictures
    • Year of the Celosia
      • Celosia Pictures
    • Year of the Orchid
      • Orchid Pictures
    • Year of the Rudbeckia
      • Rudbeckia Pictures
    • Year of the Spirea
      • Spirea Pictures
    • 2022 Year Of Plants
      • Year of the Gladiolus
        • Gladiolus Pictures
      • Year of the Lilac
        • Lilac Pictures
      • Year of the Peperomia
        • Peperomia Pictures
      • Year of the Phlox
        • Phlox Pictures
      • Year of the Salad Greens
        • Salad Greens Pictures
      • Year of the Verbena
        • Verbena Pictures
    • 2021 Year Of Plants
      • Year of the Hardy Hibiscus
        • Hardy Hibiscus Pictures
      • Year of the Garden Bean
        • Garden Bean Pictures
      • Year of the Hyacinth
        • Hyacinth Pictures
      • Year of the Monarda
        • Monarda Pictures
      • Year of the Sunflower
        • Sunflower Pictures
        • #YearoftheSunflower Video Contest Winners
    • 2020 Year Of Plants
      • Year of the Lavender
        • Lavender Pictures
      • Year of the Lantana
        • Lantana Pictures
      • Year of the Hydrangea
        • Hydrangea Pictures
      • Year of the Iris
        • Iris Pictures
      • Year of the Corn
        • Corn Pictures
    • 2019 Year Of Plants
      • Year of the Snapdragon
        • Snapdragon Pictures
      • Year of the Dahlia
        • Dahlia pictures
      • Year of the Pumpkin
        • Pumpkin Pictures
      • Year of the Salvia nemorosa
        • Salvia nemorosa pictures
    • 2018 Year Of Plants
      • Year of the Coreopsis
        • Coreopsis Pictures
      • Year of the Tulip
        • Tulip Pictures
      • Year of the Calibrachoa
        • Calibrachoa Pictures
      • Year of the Beet
        • Beet Pictures
    • 2017 Year Of Plants
      • Year of the Daffodil
        • Daffodil Pictures
      • Year of the Brassica
        • Brassica Pictures
      • Year of the Rose
        • Rose Pictures
      • Year of the Pansy
        • Pansy Pictures
  • Combo Ideas
  • Inspiration
    • NGB Blog
    • FAQs
    • Newsletter
    • Pinterest
    • Promote Gardening
    • #YearoftheSunflower Video Contest Winners
    • Snapdragon Video Winners
  • Education
    • Member Blogs
    • Books
    • Online Courses
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
  • Products
    • Garden Books
    • Garden Décor
    • Garden Tools
    • Green Thumb Award Winners
  • Shop Members
    • United States
    • Canada
  • Garden Grant
    • Therapeutic Grant Program
  • Contact
Surprising Facts about the Inner World of Bees, the Insect You Thought You Knew

Surprising Facts about the Inner World of Bees, the Insect You Thought You Knew

Pollinator GardeningApril 27, 2023gail
In What a Bee Knows: Exploring the Thoughts, Memories, and Personalities of Bees (Island Press, March 7, 2023), pollination ecologist Stephen Buchmann brings readers into the mysterious, fascinating minds of bees and introduces the scientists and researchers uncovering their alien ways of seeing the world.

Although bee brains are incredibly small—just one million neurons compared to humans’ 100 billion—they have remarkable abilities to navigate, learn, solve problems, communicate, and remember.

Here are some surprising facts about the inner world of bees, the insect you thought you knew!

  • Global bee diversity is about the same as the number of fish species. There are 21,000 species in the world, with roughly 3,500 species from the continental US alone.
  • Most in the world are actually ground-nesting and solitary, with no queen or workers. Only about 10% of the world’s bees are social, including honeybees and bumblebees.
Surprising Facts about the Inner World of Bees - most bees are actual ground-nesting and solitary
  • Bees are sentient, self-aware, can likely feel pain, and may have a simple form of consciousness.
  • Despite being the size of a poppy seed, a honeybee’s brain is quite complex. It has almost one million neurons and up to a billion synaptic connections.
  • Bee eyes detect ultraviolet light. They can see hidden UV nectar guide patterns that are invisible to humans.
Bee eyes detect ultraviolet light.
  • Bees have been trained how to use a string as a tool, pulling the string to access a sugar reward under a clear plastic cover.
Bees have been trained how to use a string as a tool, pulling the string to access a sugar reward under a clear plastic cover.
  • Far more than mindless drones, bees may actually play. In a laboratory, bumblebees rolled small wooden balls around without rewards.
  • Bees can not only count to four, but they can also remember the shapes, scents, and colors of flowers for up to three days.
  • 130 million years ago, bees evolved from carnivorous wasps during the early Cretaceous period. These first ones were tiny, just a few millimeters long, matching the size of the earliest flowers.

Learn more at:

  • Beneficial Wasps and You
  • Bee-Friendly Plants Create a Perfect Pollinator Garden
  • Flower Power in the Pollinator Victory Garden

Written by: Stephen Buchmann
Author: What a Bee Knows: Exploring the Thoughts, Memories, and Personalities of Bees

Sign Up for Our FREE NEWSLETTER
About National Garden Bureau

Founded more than 100 years ago, the National Garden Bureau educates, inspires, and motivates people to grow home gardens. National Garden Bureau members are horticultural experts, and the information shared with you comes directly from these experts to ensure your gardening success.

“This post is provided as an educational/inspirational service of the National Garden Bureau and our members. Please credit and link to National Garden Bureau when using all or parts of this article.”

Previous post Creating a Butterfly & Moth Garden Next post 12 Cool Plants to Look for This Year

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Follow Blog via Email

Sign-Up to receive notifications of our new posts.

Search

Topics

  • DIY Crafts & Gifts
  • Flower Shows and Festivals
  • Garden Grant Recipients
  • Gardening as Therapy
  • Gardening Books
  • How-to
  • Indoor Gardening
  • Kid's Gardening
  • Planning and Design
    • Backyard Habitat
    • Container Gardening
    • Garden Planning & Design
    • Perennials
    • Plants for Shade
  • Plant Care
    • Pests and Diseases
    • Plant Care & Maintenance
    • Soil, Compost and Mulch
    • Winter Gardening
  • Planting
    • Flower Gardening
    • Foodscaping
    • Herbs
    • Planting Tips
    • Seeds and Seed Starting
    • Vegetables
  • Pollinator Gardening
  • Recipes

Contact

National Garden Bureau
5201 Walnut Ave., Suite 3
Downers Grove, IL 60515
Phone: 630-963-0770
Email

Quick Links

New Plants
2022 Year Of Plants
Inspiration
Shop Our Members
National Promotions
Garden Grant
AAS Winners
Video Contest Winners

About NGB

Who We Are
Become a Member
Member Directory
Member Photo Libraries
NGB in the News

Newsletter Sign-Up

Sign-Up for our Newsletter Here

Copyright © 2023 National Garden Bureau. All rights reserved.