Advertisement

Buzzkill: Why bees fell silent during the 2017 solar eclipse

Click to play video: 'Researchers studied how zoo animals reacted to solar eclipse'
Researchers studied how zoo animals reacted to solar eclipse
WATCH: Researchers studied how zoo animals reacted to solar eclipse – Aug 21, 2017

Last year’s solar eclipse made animals do some strange things. And it turns out bees acted unusually, too.

A study published in the Annals of the Entomological Society of America found that bees fell silent amid the August 2017 eclipse. Researchers studied how bees would react to the eclipse by choosing 11 locations in the U.S. that fell in the eclipse’s path of totality.

They set up microphones on plants such as sunflowers, thistle and goldenbush to catch their reaction.

READ MORE: Animals, balloons and plumes provide answers to scientists

The study explained that the bees were buzzing before and after the totality of the eclipse, but were almost completely silent when the moon completely covered the sun.

“During 3-min clips at totality, the 16 microphones hidden among flowers in geographically isolated regions captured a soundtrack comprised almost entirely of silence,” the study read.

Story continues below advertisement

During totality, they heard one buzz in three minutes across 16 microphones. At other times, they were buzzes across 14 mics every few minutes.

Less buzzing means the bees stopped flying, the study explained.

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

WATCH: Total eclipse offers out-of-this-world opportunity for scientists

Click to play video: 'Total eclipse offers out-of-this-world opportunity for scientists'
Total eclipse offers out-of-this-world opportunity for scientists

Candace Galen, a biological sciences professor at the University of Missouri who led the research, said in a news release that they were expecting a difference in behaviour but nothing this dramatic.

“We had not expected that the change would be so abrupt, that bees would continue flying up until totality and only then stop, completely,” Galen said. “It was like ‘lights out’ at summer camp.”

Story continues below advertisement

Bees typically fly more in daylight and return to colonies at night, which is why researchers believe a total eclipse of the sun got them confused.

“As we found, complete darkness elicits the same behavior in bees, regardless of timing or context. And that’s new information about bee cognition,” Galen explained.

WATCH: ‘Solar eclipse headache’ spikes in search after totality reaches U.S.

Click to play video: '‘Solar eclipse headache’ spikes in search after totality reaches U.S.'
‘Solar eclipse headache’ spikes in search after totality reaches U.S.

While Galen’s research focused on bees, many other animals were observed to act strangely during the eclipse.

At the Nashville Zoo, the giraffes were the stars.

“They’re crazy running around,” one visitor explained.

Zookeepers reported that before totality the orangutans climbed to the highest heights they’ve ever gone.

Story continues below advertisement

The rhinos wandered a bit confused, then went to bed early.

READ MORE: Vancouver optometrist getting calls following solar eclipse

According to the National Geographic, several historical accounts have also noted animals’ peculiar behaviour, but research is difficult to conduct because the events are rare.

The magazine reported that accounts of unusual animal behaviour date back to the year 1239, when Italian monk Ristoro d’Arezzo wrote “all the animals and birds were terrified.”

— With files from The Associated Press

Sponsored content

AdChoices