1. Bees have 5 eyes
If you’ve ever been brave enough to get up close to a bee, you may have noticed three black dots on the top of its head. These are eyes! Who knew?
As well as two large eyes either side of its head, a bee has three ‘simple’ or ‘ocelli’ eyes on the top of its head. These detect light (but not shapes), meaning that a bee can sense if it is being approached from above by a predator.
The two large eyes either side of its head are made up of lots tiny lenses that each piece together a wider image of what the bee can see – this is known as a compound eye. They specialise in seeing patterns, which can help identify plant types and other bees.
2. Bee eyes are hairy
Strangely, bees’ two larger eyes have tiny hairs growing on them. It is believed that the hairs detect wind direction, so they can navigate in windy conditions.
