Bees, just like us, have brains to interact with their environment! They memorize information and communicate with each other about where is the best place to find flowers, full of pollen and nectar so that when they return to the hive, they can make honey.

A single honeybee visits hundreds, sometimes thousands, of flowers a day in search of nectar and pollen. Then it must find its way back to the hive, navigating distances up to five miles (eight kilometers), and perform a “waggle dance” to tell the other bees where the flowers are.

Studies show that long-term exposure to a combination of certain pesticides might impair the bee’s ability to carry out its pollen mission. That has as a result hives to weaken.

Biomedical sciences research center “Alexander Fleming” participates in Athens Science Festival 2022 with projects that will help us learn more about the bees’ world as they are also very important for the balance and sustainability of the entire planet’s ecosystems.

They have created workshops to discover ways to turn the city green. What do we mean? To make urban cities a more proper environment, by planting seeds from plants they recognize as food, both bees, and other pollinators.

They show us, through a presentation, how researchers understand which areas are best for practicing beekeeping. Through a questionnaire – distributed to beekeepers – scientists can create a map and separate the most hostile environments, where bees are most sensitive. An international initiative of the scientific organization COLOSS.

In addition, they have planned a pollen pellet experiment, in which we learn about the shape of the pollen grains under the microscope, we will memorize the shape of the pollen grains, and guess the flower or tree they came from, with the ultimate goal of learning to identify them all.

In the end, if someone recognizes them all, a gift from the bees will wait for them at the end of the experiment!

Young and old alike are informed and we raise awareness about protecting the environment and bees, in a fun way!

Source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/130213-honeybee-pesticide-insect-behavior-science

21-23 October | Athens Science Festival | Technopolis  City of Athens