How do bees get back to the hive when it starts pouring rain if they can’t fly in the rain, especially when it keeps raining for days and days?
In: Biology
The truth is that not all bees get back to the hive and when conditions are extremely unfavorable they may even die while not able to return. However, bees are exceedingly good at reading and even predicting the weather. They are so sensitive to weather conditions (air pressure, humidity, etc) that humans can predict very short term weather by observing their behavior.
For example, you’re out tending your apiary when a sudden squall hits and you’re wondering if you should pack it up for the day and head home. All you have to do is look at the hive entrance and watch the activity. If the bees are going out as much as they are coming in then the weather wont last that long. If you see no activity or only traffic heading into the hive that storm will most likely last a while.
As for bees that get caught in the rain, they’ll find shelter that they can hang out in until the weather subsides and will die if they cannot fly back to the hive in time.
It’s currently raining lightly…. My bees are doing orientation flights and a short hop over the fence to a flowering hedge behind the house. Don’t think they are doing long range to the acres of blackberries about 1/2 mile away
I’m sorry, I live in Southern California…what is rain?
They evolved on a planet where this is sometimes the case, and so have ways to detect when it’s going to rain so they don’t get caught out. Bee’s forage within 2 miles of the hive usually preferring closer than that and so need a way to know when it will rain based on how quickly they can fly 2 miles in a bee-line back.
Hives that forage at distances where the hive doesn’t gain weight, forage in rain, forage at distances where they can’t get back, too many die in other ways, etc, don’t pass on their genes
African bees can handle the rain actually, as well as their hybrids (which is why the hybrids were made in the first place. They’re hard working bees!)
Bees predict the weather better than meteorologists!
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