TIL: Bees Could Help Save Elephants—By Scaring Them | Today I Learned

Elephants versus bees: Who wins? In one corner, you have the African elephant, weighing in at around 2,000 pounds. In the other, the tiny African honeybee, weighing about one-tenth of a gram. Seems like a quick win for the elephant, but the African honeybee is a fighter, armed with an aggressive temperament and hundreds of friends ready to join the fight. An elephant’s thick hide shields its body from most stings, but it has a weakness: its trunk. Ever have a bee fly up your nose? Ouch! No wonder elephants run when they hear bees buzzing.

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Who’s the real winner, though? Turns out it’s probably elephants. Conservation groups have developed innovative ways of using elephants’ fear of bees to protect them from potentially dangerous conflicts with humans. By harnessing the bees' buzz, conservationists can actually save elephants.

In this episode of Today I Learned, National Geographic Emerging Explorer Paula Kahumbu explains how elephants' surprising fear of bees is actually helping to protect them.

TIL: Bees Could Help Save Elephants—By Scaring Them | Today I Learned

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[pistonpkm]

And the bees continue to prove how important they are to us all.

[TheTinkili]

Saving the elephants from harm on one side, saving the dying bees on the other. Awesome!

[kirbylover]

I wouldn't want a bee on my nose either lmao

[leonelc]

"Duh Huh, i'm elephant, mightiest animal in the worl...ohh shit, it's a bee. Nope. NOPE."

[Mr_Scrooge]

Never had an elephant problem before, but when I do, I'll make sure and use this tip. Thanks

[kookaman]

When I was little, I always thought that elephants were afraid of mice.

[davcharley]

Using drones to mimic the sound of bees to keep away from the crops :) :) :) genius. The best part is the the animal isn't getting injured, just spooked by the sound. I mean, if I was an elephant in would be easily spooked by the sound, plus I wouldn't want any bees in my nose

[pelegsap]

So what you're essentially saying is that I'm an elephant. Got it

[salwaaj]

In cartoons, they are always afraid of mice..i thought it was ridiculous to believe that such a huge animal would be scared of a little mouse. Turns out, they are scared of smaller than that

[Inv_Enot]

I’m scared if bees but also happy they exist, without them there would be a lot less pollinators 0:30

[LeboBlog]

What happens when you get a elephant who doesn't give a fuck?

[krmccarrell]

She forgot to mention that bees can't infiltrate the adult elephant's thick skin. But the baby's skin is much thinner and can be stung if there are thousands of bees.

[rachel_v_k]

This is an interesting idea. I would like to see how it might be implemented. 🐝🐘

[yourmommashouse]

Great, now poachers can use drones to herd elephants in there direction

[MrThatonebitch]

Picture this; bee/elephant hybrid. Beelephants.

[itsizzy]

I just don't get the eating small tree part so they do deforestation too

[Mysillyresponses]

Bee's sleep at night, and you show elephants attacking crops at night.

[dinukaperera]

Please protect what we have on earth....
I dont know how. but anyhow protect them. i dont mind.

but also its important to conduct educational programs for humans in the whole world to teach them how important the survival of animal species for the survival and protection of human specie. otherwise they would continue hunting.

please humane societies - get together and conduct a worldwide educational programs.
am here in sri lanka. i will come-forward if you conduct something similar in sri lanka. doesn't matter what it takes from me. i meant it.

because my people have no idea of how animals important to humans. and they are greedy in eating wild animals.
without wiping that negative attitude, a mere effort in protecting animal species would be in-vain.


in my country the human, elephant conflict is at its
if any expertise willing to come-forward to help our country? please discuss with the wild life authority in Sri Lanka.

[HWK]

We should be using bees to move humans out of the elephants habitat not the other way around