Read the latest positive news, breakthroughs, and inspiring stories about bumblebees, curated daily by BrightWire.
Volunteers in Somerset are learning the ancient art of scything to protect endangered bumblebees while keeping a centuries-old craft alive. The team gets paid in bread and cheese, just like workers did generations ago.
Bumblebees just aced a problem-solving challenge that once proved chimpanzee intelligence, joining an elite group of brainy species. These tiny insects figured out how to use a ball as a tool to reach an out-of-reach reward, stunning scientists who say it's time we recognize insect brains.
Bumblebees rolled a ball under an out-of-reach flower and climbed on it to reach a reward, demonstrating spontaneous problem-solving previously seen only in apes and elephants. The breakthrough suggests tiny insect brains are far more flexible than scientists thought.
Scientists captured buff-tailed bumblebees using a remarkable technique called "buzz pollination" to access pollen other insects can't reach. The tiny pollinators vibrate their bodies like jackhammers to shake loose clouds of pollen, then pack it into special baskets on their legs.
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Scientists found that bumblebees can recognize and follow rhythms even when the tempo changes, a skill once thought exclusive to humans and a few mammals. This tiny-brained insect just proved that making sense of rhythm might be far more fundamental to life than we ever imagined.
Scientists accidentally discovered that hibernating queen bumblebees can breathe underwater for up to a week, solving the mystery of how these vital pollinators survive spring floods. This remarkable adaptation could help us understand how bee populations will cope with climate change.
Scientists accidentally discovered that bumblebee queens can survive underwater for a week by actually breathing beneath the surface. This remarkable adaptation helps protect species that nest underground during winter flooding.
