The miniature brains of honeybees were able to understand the concepts of odd and even, despite only having 960,000 neurons (compared to 86 billion in humans).
Honeybee workers gather on a frame from a hive.
(Leslie Kennah)
Pollen brings seasonal misery to millions of Americans, but it serves a critical purpose: fertilizing many kinds of plants, including food crops.
Bees feeding in monoculture fields of single crops such as sunflowers crowd together and pass parasites to one another at high rates.
Lauren Ponisio/University of Oregon
Huge single-crop fields attract bees in such numbers that they spread parasites to one another. Planting diverse mixes of flowers around fields helps spread out pollinators and keep them healthy.
Up to 85% of the nectar available to pollinating insects in a city comes from gardens. What we plant – whether in an allotment or a window box – can make a huge difference.
Starlings and other birds like to nest in house eaves.
Tony Skerl/Shutterstock
Many living organisms generate and even detect static electricity in their natural environments. We must understand more to ensure we don’t disturb these delicate processes.
Bumblebees are better at flying in wet conditions than other bees.
Simona Chira/Shutterstock
Tlou Masehela, South African National Biodiversity Institute
Honeybees are crucial for pollinating crops and plants. They need good forage resources to do this and these resources are under threat in South Africa.