The average bee is one hundred times brainier than me

Bees are astonishingly good at making decisions – and our computer model explains how that’s possible

Published: June 27, 2023 8.00am BST https://theconversation.com/bees-are-astonishingly-good-at-making-decisions-and-our-computer-model-explains-how-thats-possible-208189

Well, hype-headline to one side, the article includes a note about a bee's "tiny yet remarkable brain."

A honeybee brain possesses around 1 million neurons, which gives a neurons-to-mass ratio of 1,000,000n:0.0001kg, normalised to 10,000,000,000:1.

Human brains comprise around 10,000,000,000 neurons; and as an example, I am around 100kg. Presuming I have the average number of brain neurons (optimistic, but run with it), my neurons-to-mass ratio is 100,000,000:1.

On that measure, the average bee is one hundred times brainier than me.

US honeybees suffer second deadliest season on record

Alarming news: US honeybees suffer second deadliest season on record

Nearly 50% of US bee colonies died off last year, although efforts have helped the overall bee population remain ‘relatively stable’ 

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jun/23/us-honeybees-second-deadliest-season

Swarm collection

Miel - Fleurs Sauvage

Purchased for €10 in Le Touquet. The reverse label says "Récolté en Espagne, conditionné en France." Tastes very sugary.

 

How's that?

Cricket Ireland forced to call out beekeeper after unexpected swarm delays domestic clash

https://wisden.com/stories/news-stories/cricket-ireland-call-out-beekeeper-unexpected-swarm-delays-domestic-clash-ire

UAE beekeepers are adapting to climate change

Nice piece here https://uk.news.yahoo.com/uae-beekeepers-adapting-climate-change-195914193.html 

“With temperatures that could reach 50 degrees (122 Fahrenheit), 45 degrees (113 Fahrenheit), bees can't survive in these hot temperatures. We can overcome this by placing the bees under large canopies, we also make sure there are water sprinklers around. Also, we were able to develop a strain of bees that can survive the heat in the UAE. Through genetic manipulation, we were able to choose certain genes in the bees that allow the queen bee to live in hot temperatures. We chose the genes in the bee that allow for the queen bee to survive in high temperatures.”

Beekeeper wears 'bee helmet' to promote honey

Asian Hornet Sighting - Canterbury, Kent

From BeeBase https://www.nationalbeeunit.com/about-us/beekeeping-news/asian-hornet-sighting-canterbury-kent/

Asian Hornet Sighting - Canterbury, Kent

On Sunday 28th May a bee farmer, whilst doing a routine apiary inspection near Canterbury, Kent, recognised an Asian hornet that had been attracted to the colonies and knocked it down. The NBU has collected the specimen which will be analysed by scientists and follow up activities will take place to raise awareness.

Please report sightings of Vespa velutina using the ‘Asian hornet Watch’ app for iPhone and Android, or the online reporting form.

https://risc.brc.ac.uk/alert.php?species=asian_hornet

Putting hornets on the genomic map

Hornets, specifically Vespa velutina, possess a remarkable sense of smell, which enables them to find and adapt to new prey, which in turn explains the rapid, invasive spread to new environments.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-31932-x

Backpacking bees

 

Tiny backpack for bees can track their position and temperature

A sensor around a millimetre in size has been tested to monitor a honeybee flying around some flowers. It could also work for medical monitoring inside a person's body

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2376605-tiny-backpack-for-bees-can-track-their-position-and-temperature/

Bees; sentient, but not as we know it

Yes, bees are sentient - and so are slugs, fish, monkeys, dogs and people. 

Being sentient comes in degrees. Generally, I accept that other people are sentient because they are likely to be somewhat similar to me; their me-like behaviour persuades me that they are sentient.

That's the case we make for dogs. Exhibiting happiness, guilt, and hunger create a persuasive case that dogs are sentient. Monkeys, probably the same though perhaps a little less, mainly because we know less about their behaviour. 

As for fish and slugs, we have so little in common with them that we tend not to think of them as sentient. It might be reasonable to say "Sentient, but not as we know it."

Which leads to a sliding scale, and bees are on it: they are sentient, but not as we know it.

https://guildford-dragon.com/beekeepers-notes-knowing-bees-are-sentient-changes-how-we-must-treat-them/

Asian hornet