Understanding Bees Through Ultraviolet Light

In this article series, we have been exploring how bees see each other in ultraviolet light (UV). I have been using UV at 365 nanometers, which as shown earlier is close to a honey bee’s maximum sensitivity in UV. Seeing bees more like they see each other can bring us closer to understanding their lives. Besides its intrinsic fascination, a more intimate understanding of bees makes us better beekeepers.

For routinely encountered bees in the apiary, I think the two stunning flagship photographs from the previous article were bees with eyes fluorescing in blue and scent-fanning bees, their Nasonov glands fluorescing brightly.