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The Conversation
The Conversation
Elisa Rigosi, Researcher in Sensory Biology, Department of Biology, Lund University

Bees view the world in surprisingly different ways – understanding this could inspire new technology

An Australian blue-banded bee: different species have evolved very different solutions to the challenge of seeing their world Kristian Bell/Shutterstock

One bee has long been regarded as a benchmark for visual performance: the honeybee drone.

These male honeybees (Apis mellifera) have evolved highly specialised eyes for detecting queens during mating flights. They are extraordinarily sensitive to tiny moving objects less than half a degree across. In human terms, that’s like spotting a person more than 250 metres away.

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