1. Bees understand arithmetic symbols
French and Australian researchers have trained bees to count and understand simple arithmetic methods such as plus and minus.
The bees have proven their skills by finding the right path in a maze when faced with arithmetic problems.
A recent study was able to show that the bees could even understand the equivalent of numbers when they were converted into symbols. This ability had previously been identified in monkeys and some species of birds.
2. Wet bees slide on water to get to safety
Video: See the bees “surfing” on the water.
When bees land on water, they cannot fly again.
In such conditions, however, the flies are not out, if researchers from Caltec in the USA are to be believed, because the flies can use their wings to paddle, like surfers who lie on their stomachs on their surfboards.
In this way, bees can “row” forward at a rate of three body lengths per second and escape to dry land.
3. Bees produce perfect glue
American scientists have discovered how bees get pollen that they collect from flowers to stick together.
The recipe consists of a mixture of the saliva of the flies themselves and oil from the flowers, which ensures that the glue does not dry out and preserves its properties.
Scientists now plan to mimic the mixture in experiments with new types of glue.
4. Plastic cards used to charge bees
In cities, bees often lie helpless on streets and sidewalks.
The employees of the Bee Savior Behavior now think they have solved this problem, but it is a plastic card that everyone can keep in their wallet.
The map includes a small supply of sugar water that can come to the bees’ rescue in a critical moment.
