How Bees Can See the Invisible

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Bees see the world in some very interesting ways

To begin this video, we launched a little confetti to celebrate the fact that I am now "Dr. Joe", since I successfully defended my Ph.D. in molecular biology! Woo! But you don't have to call me "Doctor."

Anyway, spring is in the air!! We're all thawing out from winter's chill, and for bees and flowers this season is about one thing: Feeding and fertilizing. Bees are amazing social insects, and their relationship with flowers is one of nature's coolest examples of "mutualism". It got me wondering: How do bees see the world? Enjoy this look at how bees see in ultraviolet and even sense electric fields!

Written and hosted by Joe Hanson

Clips used:

Music: Edvard Grieg "Morning Mood"

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[robinchesterfield]

There is some seriously GORGEOUS photography in this episode. I especially like how sometimes you can see the entire reflection of a flower inside just one dewdrop. Wow.

[gabrielRcorrea]

I almost heard: "as always, thanks for watching"

[magicdolphin]

"think about how much of nature remains invisible, unless seen through the right eyes" is a very nice quote. makes me want to see from all creatures perspective, to truly experience life from all points of view.

[besmart]

We evolved to see the "visible" range because that happens to be what the atmosphere lets through (plus a little UV and IR, but not much). If there was different light coming in, we'd probably have evolved different eyes. And it's impossible to imagine what that would look like. Just like to see what a blind person sees is to see what we see out of our elbow.

[besmart]

My leather chair smells of rich mahogany.

[besmart]

I'll double-check with my parents, but I am sure that's a no. Although they would make very cool brothers.

[nicsfunwithbees]

You know you've reached beekeeper status when you can see mites on the bees in a PBS video. Hint it's at 55 seconds in.

[nancyschannel]

Bee googles - see the world through the eyes of a bee, next beer googles - see...

[besmart]

We can build devices to convert just about any wavelength to something we can see. But if we do that, are we really "seeing" the world that way? Or just seeing the world as we do now, only with a representation of the invisible?

[diazbraulioo]

Yeah, I knew we couldn't imagine it ourselves but I maybe thought we had developed special cameras or cool filters that allowed us to see in different wavelengths. Thank you for getting back to me! Keep the videos coming, man.

[FeedingWolves]

This video was amazing. The shots of the flowers and bees were beyond beautiful, they almost looked like out of a pixar movie.

[iambun]

It would be really cool to develop bee goggles so that we could see the world as a bee does!

[Necrikus]

So when are the videos explaining how bees do the impossible, touch the untouchable, and break the unbreakable?

[oceanlabrees]

what flower is that at 0:44 it grew by my old house in south oxnard and has the greatest sweetest smell of all flowers ive came across.,

[kayekog]

I love to learn, although I tend to resist the effort sometimes. Well done. I'm going to watch again. Didn't fully understand how they see the plants differently.

[RohitPant]

Very interesting point about the electric charges between bees and flowers!

[weeniefang]

so if bees see more than humans can, maybe that's why they never ever fly in a straight line; they're trying to fly around something so they don't run into it

[janedance]

Exceptional upclose video of bees. I was amazed!

[alanreeves]

So if sweat glows in uv, this is why bees Chase me when running

[whiterottenrabbit]

Dude, I love the fact that unlike many people from other channels, you're not talking in a super fast speed, don't use jumpcuts every three seconds and most importantly: you're not trying to be deliberately super cool and totally funny too hard. Screw the SciShow and Crash Course, I am subscribing to YOU!