When there’s a lack of young worker bees, older bees can revert to their more energetic, younger selves to take on the task. In fact, these bees end up living longer to pick up the slack.

There are bees that can age backwards — really!

As a part of Nordic marriage rites during the 5th century, it’s believed that it was a tradition for newlywed couples to consume copious amounts of mead (a fermented honey drink) during the first full moon cycle, or month, of marriage. The practice is <a href="https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/54075/where-does-term-honeymoon-come">one of several proposed origins </a>of the honeymoon’s etymology.

Bees put the honey in honeymoon

Using their wings, bees can fan hot air out of the hive to cool an area or vibrate their flight muscles to heat it. Scientists have observed Japanese honeybees create a giant ball around the hive-invading, bee-eating Asian giant hornets to use the same hive-heating techniques to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/03/us/murder-hornets-asian-giant-hornet-bees.html">cook the invader alive</a>.

Some bee species defend their hives with giant balls of heat

Bees are highly-efficient pollinators and are essential to plant diversity. When bees are employed to pollinate crops such as avocados, blueberries and <a href="https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/wrightm/materials/farming_with_bees_online_version.pdf">cucumbers</a>, fruit yields and weight increase dramatically compared to crops grown in the absence of bees or other pollinators.

Bees help farmers grow better food and keep food prices down

Criminologists developed a statistical technique called geographic profiling (GP). Based on the locations of the crimes, police can make educated guesses about where a suspect might live or visit regularly.<a href="https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/BF02213863.pdf">Bees </a>avoid detection by predators and parasites by creating a distraction zone — they leave flowers closest to their nest entrance untouched and feed further away from the hive.They found that bees’ foraging patterns were as reliable and predictable as humans.

Scientists use bees to study serial killers

Bees may have brains the size of poppy seeds, but they’re able to pick out individual features on human faces and <a href="https://theconversation.com/are-they-watching-you-the-tiny-brains-of-bees-and-wasps-can-recognise-faces-100884">recognize them during repeat interactions</a>. In one study, <a href="https://jeb.biologists.org/content/213/4/i.1.full">scientists paired </a>images of human faces with sugar-laced water and found that bees recognized and remembered faces associated with the sweet reward — even when the reward was absent.

Bees can remember human faces

Fortunately, you can take action to help bees where you live. With just a smartphone and a willingness to learn, you can contribute to various <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320716303238">citizen science projects</a>.Your own backyard is another place to start: <ol><li>Plant more <a href="https://www.highcountrygardens.com/wildflower-seeds/mixtures/lawn-alternative-wildflower-seed-mix">wildflowers</a>.</li><li>Don’t use pesticides that <a href="https://www.clemson.edu/public/regulatory/pesticide-regulation/bulletins/bulletin-5-protecting-honeybees.pdf">harm bees </a>and apply them <a href="http://ipm.ucanr.edu/mitigation/protect_bees.html">before flowering begins</a>.</li><li>If you live in the city, set up or join a community rooftop garden.</li></ol>

It’s not too late to save bees — and YOU can help

There are <a href="https://www.uaex.edu/farm-ranch/special-programs/beekeeping/about-honey-bees.aspx">three types </a>of honeybees: queens, workers and drones. There’s only one queen, and she’s typically the largest and longest-living individual within a hive. Worker bees are all female and the only bees with stingers. And while workers are <a href="https://www.beeculture.com/royal-jelly-worker-bee-produced-protein-rich-mothers-milk/">genetically identical </a>to the queen, only the crown can lay eggs.

Honeybees live according to a strict hierarchy

Bee populations worldwide are declining due to climate change. But it’s not too late to save these amazing insects -- and you can help.