Bees find their way home over long distances

A study has discovered that bumblebees can find their way home from over 13 km away, much further than was previously believed possible. A team from the University of Newcastle individually tagged approximately 100 bees belonging to the common species Bombus terrestris. The bees were then distributed randomly across northeastern England, and a monitor put on the hive. Between 20 and 30 of the bees returned to the hive.

This low figure has been attributed to “a lot of bees killed by predators and car windscreens”. What is most interesting though, is that a number of bees released in the Tyne Valley – 13 kilometres from the hive – made it home. Bumblebees generally forage in an area around the hive with a radius of more or less five kilometres. However, based on the new study, key researcher Dr Mark O’Neill told the BBC, “it is eminently possible for bumblebees to forage more than five kilometres from the nest”.

The study has yet to identify the physical reason for the bees’ innate sense of direction, but Dr O’Neill attributes it to the bees’ exceptionally good vision, and an ability to recognise landmarks. Bees also have an excellent sense of smell, and the team has now shifted their studies to include this aspect in their research. They are now plotting the routes that bees take through the countryside, in an attempt to identify the types of landscape that the bees prefer. Dr O’Neill said, “We are trying to find out more about how bees forage, or look for their food.

We’re particularly interested to see if they find certain environments easier to navigate.” The research is intended help develop conservation strategies for Britain’s declining bee population by creating ideal habitats for the insects.