The homing instincts of the humble bumblebee are a lot more powerful than anyone thought. A new UK study has revealed that the bomb-shaped insect can navigate its way home from as far away as eight miles (13 kilometres). The study, by the University of Newcastle and reported today by the BBC, tagged 20,000 bees with ID numbers then dropped them at various points around the countryside, leaving them to make their way home.
Some bees made it back from a drop off eight miles away - much further than the three miles (5 kilometres) it had been assumed was the limit of their range. Research into how bees navigate is developing all the time. It's believed they use a variety of information, including odour-based "maps".
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