Bee Fact

____________________________________________________________________________

“Thus, bees are able to perceive polarized light. The sky, which to our eyes is a uniform blue, is distinctly patterned to them (13, 15). They use this extensively and, in their orientation, guide themselves not only by the sun’s position but also by the resulting polarization patterns of the blue sky. They also continue to recognize the sun’s position after it has set or when it is obscured by a mountain. Once again the bees appear to us miraculous. But it is now clear that ants and other insects, crayfish, spiders, and even octopuses perceive polarized light and use it for orientation, and that among all these animals the human being is the unendowed one, together with many other vertebrates. In one respect, however, bees remain singular: Only they use polarized light not only for their own orientation but also to communicate to their colonies the direction to a distant goal.”

 

From Decoding The Language of The Bee ( Nobel Lecture, December 12, 1973 )

_____________________________________________________________________________