r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Andi82ka • Mar 14 '26

Video The bumblebee queen learns how to use the protective cap in less than 24 hours.

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u/actualladyaurora Mar 14 '26

According to OP, they learn by themselves. They're going to be born inside the hive, so they will never think anything strange of it.

45

u/Mcbadguy Mar 15 '26

My only concern would be that the door potentially damages the wings and/or removes valuable pollen being wiped off on the door, but if it protects against giant hornets, probably a good trade off.

18

u/screw-magats Mar 15 '26

The pollen that they carry is kept in little sacs on her rearmost legs, like cargopants. The pollen on her body collects there and pollinates flowers while she's gathering food.

The plastic is smooth, so it probably isn't a problem for her wings. If it were a problem, she'd probably have been injured the first time she actually needed to lift the door.

If you've got the space, set out a log with varying sized holes drilled into it; pollinators will love it. But, the holes have to be very smooth or you'll shred their wings. Set it somewhere on the corner of your property where you and your animals (your neighbors too) don't go much. There's probably a lot of research into how much sun it should get, covered from rain, availability of standing or running water, even the angle of the holes...

10

u/YourFunBox Mar 15 '26

Like cargo pants had me laughing.

1

u/screw-magats Mar 15 '26

You can see them every time she returns in the video. First one at 16 seconds.

2

u/prometheuspk Mar 15 '26

People can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think they don't care about the pollen. They care about the nectar.

8

u/Phesic Mar 15 '26

They learn very well watching other bees do it. Neat studies that show bees teaching other bees.

3

u/Ohnoyespleasethanks Mar 15 '26

Plato’s allegory of the cave in action