Bee species show magnetic properties suggesting internal compass

A study published in Science Advances has revealed that a high number of bee species possess magnetic properties, suggesting the potential existence of an internal compass known as magnetoreception.

Researchers tested 96 different species and found magnetic responses in 74 of them. Contrary to previous scientific assumptions that this ability was primarily linked to social bees living in colonies, the study found strong magnetic responses in both social and solitary species. This includes members of the Apidae family and the Halictidae family.

The findings suggest that magnetism may be an ancestral trait that appeared in the evolutionary history of insects long before the emergence of modern bee species. While the presence of magnetic materials like magnetite indicates a capacity for magnetoreception, researchers note that these results do not definitively prove all tested species use the field for orientation, but rather identify those likely to possess the faculty.