How Do Bees Communicate?

A research team with members from Freie Universität Berlin, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the University of Oslo have been measuring the electrostatic signals of bees. No 090/2021 from May 14, 2021 A research team composed of members from Freie Universität Berlin, the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Kunming, and the University of Oslo have developed a method of monitoring the electrostatic signals of bees. The wax-covered surface of bees' bodies is electrically charged by friction during flight, which they then emit as communication signals to other bees. The research group installed sensors and a central recording device in a specially designed beehive in order to measure data on the electrostatic fields (ESF) of honeybees. By recording electrostatic energy, researchers say that they can detect whether a bee colony is under threat from hazards like insecticides. The results of the study were published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience . Honeybees use a complex system of communication.