When we think of insects, positive images rarely come to mind. Most of them fill us with unease, and some even make us a little afraid. If we find them in the house we try to get rid of them, and if we come across them outdoors we tend to move away. This perhaps happens because we are not used to knowing them and understanding the societies in which they live. But all of them, from the clumsy cockroach to the most elegant butterfly, are fundamental to the balance of the ecosystem in which we live and possess an intelligence that makes each one unique and special. When we talk about bees, this could not be more true. These small and industrious creatures pollinate 75 per cent of the plants that humans feed on and, without them, our species could not survive. They even have a highly developed mathematical mind that makes them skilled calculators. Not to mention the wonderful structure they are able to give their hives. For this reason, on the occasion of World Bee Day, we have put together a list of ten curious facts about their lives, filled with intoxicating scents and very long journeys, so we can get to know them and love them in all their complexity.

10 curious facts about the lives of bees

1. They have five eyes

Bees have two compound eyes and three simple eyes, known as ocelli, and see 360 degrees. The head of the worker bee has a triangular shape, and in the upper corners are the two compound eyes, which are the largest and are made up of thousands of small elements. These first two eyes provide an image of the surrounding environment, detect movements and allow bees to react more quickly. In addition to the compound eyes, they also have three ocelli, located on the forehead, which allow them to see objects very close up.

As far as colours are concerned, bees see yellow, bluish green, blue and ultraviolet, but do not see red. Moreover, just like us humans, bees are also capable of recognising faces, because they can distinguish lines and shapes, as if they were a pattern that is memorised.

2. And a proboscis

Bees have five eyes but no proper mouth. To suck up nectar they have a kind of proboscis called a ligula, which is a sort of proboscis and can reach up to eight millimetres in length. In addition to the ligula, the mouthparts consist of an upper lip, two mandibles, two maxillae and a lower lip.

3. There are more than 20,000 species of bees

The best-known and most widespread bees are undoubtedly honey bees (Apis mellifera), but in the world there are more than twenty thousand different species found on every continent, except the Arctic and Antarctica. Among the various species is the osmia, a solitary bee that does not live in a colony and which, unlike what one might imagine, represents the vast majority of bees. It does not produce honey, but it is an exceptional pollinator, as it manages to fertilise more than 90 per cent of the flowers it visits.

4. They invented mummification

When an animal that bees perceive as large (which could be a lizard, a beetle or even a mouse) manages to get into the hive, they kill it using their sting. Bees are not able to carry the carcass out of their habitat, however, as it would be too heavy. So to avoid the possible dangers caused by decomposition, they cover it in propolis which, being a powerful antibiotic, preserves the body, turning it into a kind of mummy.

5. Every colony has its own scent

Every bee colony has its own characteristic scent that allows the individuals within it to recognise one another easily and identify any intruders.

6. They make 250 vibrations per second

In addition to enabling flight, this rapid movement allows them to keep their body temperature constant. They fly at a maximum speed of 24 kilometres per hour and have a sophisticated landing technique.

7. Every bee has its own unique and unrepeatable personality

A study published in 2016 in the journal Science showed that individual bees behave in different ways and prefer some tasks over others. As generally industrious as they are considered to be, within the same hive there are bees that are more active and adventure-prone and others that are calmer and shyer.

8. Nearly three million flowers are needed to make one kilogram of honey

On a single foraging flight, a bee is capable of visiting between 50 and 100 flowers. For just one kilogram of honey, it has been estimated that a single bee would need to fly approximately 150,000 kilometres, almost four times around the Earth, and that nearly 60,000 round trips between the hive and flowers are required. Furthermore, also to produce one kilogram of honey, 2,737,500 flowers would be needed.

9. They take "naps" lasting 30 seconds

During this brief time, they stop, their body relaxes and they become unresponsive to what is happening around them. These sleep phases become more regular as they age, while they are more sporadic in younger bees.

10. They use the sun as a compass

When carrying out the role of foragers — that is, when they collect nectar, pollen, propolis and water — they are able to transmit precise information to their companions about the exact location of a food source, even a very distant one, communicating data on the positional relationship between the flowering field, the hive and the sun. Their ability to perceive polarised light allows them to pinpoint the position of the sun, even when it is covered by clouds, as long as an area of clear sky is visible.

The dance of the bees

To do this, they exploit a particular technique called the dance, which together with pheromones allows them to communicate. Various types of dances can be distinguished, including a circular one and one called the figure-of-eight. The first is the simpler of the two and allows bees to communicate the location of a food source situated between 50 and 100 metres away.

The second, by contrast, is considerably more complex, as in this case it pinpoints the food source precisely and covers greater distances. It is called the figure-of-eight dance or the waggle dance, after the movements the bees make: they travel a short stretch shaking their bodies, then curve round and return to the starting point, tracing — as the name suggests — a figure of eight. They repeat this same action several times. The direction of the food source relative to the hive is indicated by the forward run: if it is vertical and pointing upwards, the route to take is in the direction of the sun; if it is vertical and pointing downwards, one must head in the opposite direction to the sun; if it is diagonal, the route lies in a direction offset by that given angle relative to the position of the sun. The tempo at which the dance is performed indicates the distance of the location in question from the hive: a slow tempo of 4 dances per minute indicates a distance of around 10 kilometres; 16 dances per minute indicate distances of around 1 kilometre.

The scent covering the body of the dancing bee, meanwhile, provides the precise indication of the flower to look for: this is why bees are able to forage together for the same type of nectar and thus produce monofloral honey.

The value of bees

Bees play an active role in maintaining biodiversity and restoring areas on the brink of desertification, yet at a regulatory level not enough is being done to protect them. In just ten years, the harmful impact of pesticides on bees has doubled, and reports of entire swarms being decimated by substances used in agriculture are still heard far too often. And that is not all. Bees are also threatened by the loss of natural habitats and the spread of new parasites and pathogens. It is worth considering that since the 1990s a 25 per cent decline in the number of observed bee species has been recorded, and since 2006 an increase in honeybee mortality of over 30 per cent has been noted.

This is why companies and private individuals are working to try to save them. With our project Bee my future, for example, it is possible to adopt a thousand bees for a year, thereby contributing to their protection and conservation. This year, from May through to October, Coop is also promoting the campaign Ogni ape conta, committing to host and protect over one billion bees in the fields of its fruit and vegetable supply chains, with a particular eye towards the (lesser-known) wild bees, also known as solitary bees.

Like every living creature, bees are endowed with an extraordinary intelligence, essential to the ecological niche in which they live. For this reason, there would be far more than ten curious facts to talk about. Their lives teach us that teamwork and cooperation are the key to survival, and that every living creature, however small, possesses an extraordinary strength. They teach us to cherish those we care about and to work each day with dedication. But they also teach us that, every now and then, a little nap is perfectly acceptable.