this post was submitted on 17 Feb 2024
836 points (97.8% liked)

Gardening

3506 readers
15 users here now

Your Ultimate Gardening Guide.

Rules

  1. Be respectful and inclusive.
  2. No harassment, hate speech, or trolling.
  3. Engage in constructive discussions.
  4. Share relevant content.
  5. Follow guidelines and moderators' instructions.
  6. Use appropriate language and tone.
  7. Report violations.
  8. Foster a continuous learning environment.

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] qjkxbmwvz@startrek.website 20 points 9 months ago (2 children)

I "rehabilitated" a bee this way a while back (hydration, sugarwater, and a very mild heat source). Beedude was lethargic and spent the night in a container inside.

When I released beedude the next day I saw the coolest thing: it flew up, made several circles in the air, and then flew off with determination. I am not an entomologist but it seemed exactly like what I would expect from something "calibrating its compass"/finding its bearings. Super cool!

[–] notabot@lemm.ee 9 points 9 months ago

Yup, we had a similar thing, but didn't need long to get going again. It first refused the sugar water, then realised and drank a surprising amount all while laying down, then suddenly started waving it's legs around like it had just discovered them, took a couple of false starts and took off. In the air it did exactly what you describe, circling to get it's bearings then heading off. It definitely appeared slightly drunk though.

I like to think it got back to the nest, still slightly wired from a sugar, and desperately tried to tell it's hivemates about this great foraging spot with a waggle dance: "guys, guys you've got to try this new spot, it's got grrreat sugar!" "Where?" "Err, no idea, my head is still buzzing from the good stuff."

[–] aulin@lemmy.world 5 points 9 months ago

it seemed exactly like what I would expect from something "calibrating its compass"/finding its bearings.

Or it was dancing a thank you message to you before taking off.