They are bafflingly intelligent.
Often overlooked as mindless nectar-drinkers, bees have earned their place as the world’s top pollinator through unmatched ingenuity.
These fuzzy creatures communicate through a dancing with their rear ends – wiggling them in accordance to the position of the sun to share information about the direction and distance to patches of pollen-rich flowers, water sources and new nest locations. A group of worker bees will memorise the directions and fly directly to the spot, which could be miles away.
The more excited the bee is about a location, the more vigorously it wiggles.
This adorable little dance ensures plants get pollinated, and the natural world can thrive.
But many humans don’t appreciate this ingenuity, or the service bees provide. We take them for granted.
To many, these tiny workers are nothing more than an unwelcome presence. Humanity has poisoned their habitats with pesticides, choked their air with carbon emissions and annihilated their colonies by burning their nests.
In 2017, insect abundance (as measured by biomass) within 63 protected areas in Germany had declined by more than 75% – staggeringly, in less than three decades.
They’re unappreciated. They’re undervalued. And they’re disappearing fast.
We are only just beginning to see the consequences; fields of crops left unpollinated, ancient ecosystems starved of life, and a spiralling need for our food to contain more and more unrecognisable ingredients.
It’s time to fight for their natural homes, so they can continue fighting for ours.
It is difficult work, but – with your donations – we can develop sustainable and greener economic opportunities that help safeguard these fuzzy workers and their habitats.
…and next time you notice beautiful flowers brightening your day, you will know it is thanks to a dancing bee.