What a Bee Knows

January 23, 2023
In this enlightening outing, Buchmann (The Reason for Flowers), an ecology professor at the University of Arizona, takes readers “into the minds and lives of bees.” He explains the critical role bees play as pollinators—“about 35 percent of the world’s food supply that isn’t derived from wind-pollinated cereal crops” stems from bees’ services—and provides an intimate look at how bees experience their environment. Describing some of the insects’ extraordinary capabilities, he discusses research that has found bees can count to four, learn to use tools (they have been trained in studies to roll tiny balls for a reward), and “taste” via hairs on their legs and antennae. More provocatively, Buchmann argues that bees can feel pain and might have a “limited form of consciousness,” as demonstrated by studies that found bees can likely practice selective attention and “interpret reality in relation to themselves.” Fascinating trivia abounds, and the eye-opening material on bees’ interior lives complicates conventional wisdom about which animals are capable of emotions and consciousness (one study found that “anxious” bees “avoided being around other bees” and had lower than normal levels of dopamine). Readers fearful of bees may well gain a new perspective, while those who are already fans will find more to celebrate.