There’s no place like home

Today I’m sharing one of my all time favorite facts about bees.

Bees will always come back to their same hive! Have you ever come out of a store and wandered aimlessly through the parking lot because you completely forgot where you parked? Well, this never happens for our little bee friends.

A few days before the bees first foraging flight they’ll do an “orientation flight” where they hover in front of the hive in figure 8 motions. This activates a gene linked to learning! So, they take in their surroundings and when they come back they will know which hive is home because of the surroundings and also their hive’s specific scent.

When they are out and about they use the angle of the sun and “mental maps” to find their way back home. Isn’t that amazing?!