The eyes of bees

The way in which Bees use their eyesight is really very interesting and still constitutes a source of study and much-followed curiosity to fully understand its functionality.

Each bee has 5 eyes.

Many Hymenoptera including bees have 5 eyes and this feature allows them to move easily with a view that reaches 360 degrees of angle.

The five eyes are divided into two larger compound eyes located in the front of the head and three smaller ocelli located in the upper part.

The function of these tiny visual organs is not to be found in the actual sight, as they are primitive eyes, but they help the insect to recognize polarized light, allowing it to remain in balance in flight guiding it along its journey. / p>

The priority in their view is therefore not given by the color and shape of the objects and the visualization of these details takes a back seat.

The ocelli also work in prohibitive weather conditions, and allow bees to see even in the presence of clouds or fog, providing excellent help to the insect for any type of movement.

The colors perceived by worker bees and queen bees

Although not able to capture all the details of objects, this set of eyes allows the bees to observe the surrounding environment during the flight, with a viewing angle that is close to 360 °.

Speaking of colors, moreover, the range of colors that bees are able to perceive is a bit different from ours.

It has been shown that the eyes of these insects have a lower sensitivity to the red color which is almost completely unnoticed.

The bees are therefore unable to detect the red color that is displayed in any other way. However, these insects have a greater predisposition to visualize the range of colors belonging to the ultraviolet spectrum, colors that we humans do not see.

The eyes of the bees are calibrated in such a way as to allow rapid flight movements without the risk of hitting natural obstacles such as branches, leaves or even predators, or anthropogenic ones, such as walls, fences, awnings and so on. Windows are an exception, as the bees' eyes are unable to perceive the presence of glass.

But if bees CAN'T see the red color, why are they attracted to poppies?

Despite the scarce if not non-existent ability to visualize the red color, the poppy is precisely one of the flowers that most attracts bees, let's find out the reason for this contradiction:

Bees are not able to see red, but we have emphasized that their particular sight allows for the vision of ultraviolet. Therefore, starting from this assumption, we can clearly explain the preference of bees for poppies, and for red flowers in general.

Red flowers, in most cases, reflect clear ultraviolet tones that humans don't see, but bees do.

Bees are therefore attracted to those flowers that reflect ultraviolet tones in a strong way. This explains how poppies attract their attention and, moreover, these flowers are also an excellent source of pollen and nutrition.

The use of antennas

In addition to sight, bees use antennas a lot for their orientation.

The antennas of bees are simultaneously equipped with the sense of smell and touch.

They are orientable, and allow bees to understand the shape of objects by smelling them: for them a drop and a strip of honey have a completely different scent.

Thanks to the antennae, the bees are able, for example, to care for the larvae or to build honeycombs inside the hive, even in the dark.

Given their importance in perceptions and sensations, the bee constantly cleans its antennae from atmospheric dust.

How beekeepers paint their hives

In summary, after analyzing the characteristics of the bees' sight, we can say that:

bees see only four colors: yellow (orange, yellowish green) bluish green , blue and ultraviolet .

It is very important for a beekeeper to take these factors into account as they can be useful for the orientation of bees.

The color is therefore fundamental, for this reason the beekeepers paint the hives, arranged close to each other, with different colors and geometric designs to facilitate the orientation and the recognition of the same to the bees.

Finding your way around is important as accessing the wrong hive that is not part of your swarm can be a risk for bees.

When a worker bee misses the hive, it is generally allowed access to deposit the harvest. Otherwise, if a queen bee , returning from its flight, went to the wrong hive, it would be in great danger.

The presence of a queen bee in the wrong hive would be perceived as a danger. Not being recognized by the other workers, the queen bee would be killed by the rest of the swarm.

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