“If the bee disappeared from the planet, man would only have 4 years to live.” (ecocolmena, 2006)

This phrase attributed by Belgian beekeepers to Einstein and has generated much discussion about whether it would really happen, we are so close to verifying if it is true.

In 1988 in the United States there were a total of 5 million hives throughout the country, but by 2015 only half remained, approximately 2.5 million hives died and each year it looks worse and not only for the United States if not for the entire world. (the information, 2016)

41% of the hive population was lost in almost 3 decades and to make the situation worse, environmental pollution is generating drastic environmental changes around the world, which is why a great loss of diversity of flora and fauna is estimated in a few years. and bees are not excluded from this threat.

According to studies, it has been proven that the bee recognizes ultraviolet color. (Kuhn, 1924)

Based on this, we will analyze the behavior of the bee when it encounters a flower illuminated by ultraviolet light and for this, 3 compartments will be used: one illuminated with normal light, another with ultraviolet light and the last one without any type of light, each with the same flower.

The behavior of the flowers will be analyzed based on the compartments for 1 hour in 3 days, each day the type of flower will be changed.

For one hour, 3 manual hand counters will be used to count how many times a bee approaches the flower (stands on it).

3 pots were used, 2 of them had their respective LEDs (normal or ultraviolet) attached as their power source and the golden rain, dandelion and lantana flowers were used.

Day 1 table with 1 dandelion flower.

Day 2 table with golden rain flower.

Day 3 table with lantana flower.

In the apiary where the study was carried out, they only have scout and piker bees; it would be necessary to analyze the behavior with workers.

The bees have recently been victims of attack by black ants, therefore, if they get too close, they will become aggressive and will disrupt the study, which is why a distance was sought where they do not feel threatened.

The study was carried out in the morning hours on days where there was not much solitude, or it was raining since the bee does not show activity in those climates. (beekeeping in Valero, 2010)

The safety equipment required to work near the apiary was used.

During the study, it was noted how aggressive the bee is when it sees you approaching its home and this causes it to not pay attention to the flowers.

It can be seen from the tables that the bee feels a preference for the flower on day 1 while with the other two flowers it could be concluded that it does not generate interest or generates very minimal interest.

With the table from day 1 you can see that when it is a flower that generates interest in them they will only show that interest in a short period of time.

When comparing the 3 cases in the 3 tables, it can be noted that there is more preference for the flower illuminated with ultraviolet light and that there is less preference for the light without illumination, therefore, we conclude that the bee when seeing a flower illuminated by any type of light will feel more attracted than a flower without lighting; You also notice the preference it has for ultraviolet light compared to normal light.

The behavior of the workers remains to be analyzed, also implementing ultraviolet light to larger areas and for periods of time.

apicultura en valero. (16 de Enero de 2010). Obtenido de https://apiculturaenvalero.wordpress.com/2010/01/16/aspestos-tecnicos-de-las-abejas/

ecocolmena. (5 de Abril de 2006). Obtenido de https://ecocolmena.com/es-falso-einstein-no-dijo-si-las-abejas-desaparecen-al-hombre-le-quedarian-4-anos-en-la-tierra/

Kuhn. (1924).

la informacion. (05 de Octubre de 2016). Obtenido de https://www.lainformacion.com/mundo/Adios-especies-peligro-extincion-EEUU_0_959905127.html