Researchers discover 90% of bees have magnetic powers

Researchers discover 90% of bees have magnetic powers
One of the world’s most important pollinators may have an even more remarkable skill than scientists once realized: A team led by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has found that nearly 90% of the bee species it tested appear to be magnetic.
The discovery, recently published in Science Advances, is notable because it reveals a hidden trait in bees and could eventually help researchers better protect the insects that support food systems, home gardens, and wild ecosystems.
The work started when UT researchers Anne Murray, a research assistant professor in ecology and evolutionary biology, and Dustin Gilbert, an associate professor of materials science and engineering, began comparing notes across their different specialties. Murray knew that honeybees had been shown decades ago to sense Earth’s magnetic field. Gilbert studies magnetism and nanotechnology. Together, they decided to take a broader look.
At the time, only five bee species had ever been identified as having that ability. Over six years, the team tested more than 120 bee species from around the world and concluded that magnetism is far more common than previously understood. Researchers call this ability “magnetoreception,” or the capacity to detect Earth’s magnetic field, often linked to navigation.
The study indicates the phenomenon extends beyond honeybees, including solitary species. The team found that larger and more social bees tended to show stronger magnetic signals, though no single factor fully explained the pattern.
They also tested nearly 300 wasp species and found that roughly 90% were magnetic, suggesting this ability may trace back deeper in the insect family tree.
If scientists determine how bees use magnetic cues — for navigation, locating nests, or foraging — it could improve conservation strategies amid habitat loss, pesticides, and climate pressures.
Research like this gives scientists another piece of the puzzle in understanding what these insects need to thrive.
The most encouraging part may be how much remains unknown. Rather than closing the book on bee behavior, the study opens up a new line of inquiry into a sense that appears to have helped insects survive for millions of years.
“It just was so unexpected,” Murray said. “What has been the most surprising thing is there are so many and so much variety. We just weren’t expecting that.”
For Gilbert, the biggest takeaway is how much this hidden sense may still shape the natural world: “While the prevailing theory is that insects use vision to navigate, our data suggests that magnetism may also play a crucial role, probably in short-range navigation. But we still don’t know for sure why they use magnetic fields and why it seems to have persisted for 150 million years.”
(The Cool Down)