Honey bees have an incredibly keen sense of smell. They are also remarkably good at learning and remembering new scents.
For example, when beekeepers inspect a Western honey bee hive, they often use smoke. As we discussed earlier, this takes advantage of the bees’ natural response to smoke: when they sense smoke, they prepare for the possibility of a wildfire by eating honey and becoming calmer. The smoke helps reduce their defensive response, making it easier and safer for the beekeeper to work with the hive.
On the other hand, if a beekeeper frequently works with a hive without using a smoker, or if the bees become strongly alarmed, they may learn the scent and circumstances associated with that experience and react more strongly the next time someone approaches.
Honey bees are so sensitive to odors that they may even be able to recognize the scent of their beekeeper. It seems that our bees may have a pretty good memory for “slightly clumsy beekeepers” like us! 😅
And researchers are exploring ways to put this remarkable sense of smell to work for humans, including using honey bees to detect scents associated with cancer and explosives.
So, when visiting an apiary, let’s be considerate of the bees’ amazing noses and keep the use of perfume to a minimum.🐝