Bees see primary colors in the spectrum of light and can also perceive shades. For example, red and black are both similar in hue, but bees can distinguish them. Bees have five eyes: two compound eyes on each side of their head, and three other eyes on their forehead.
This enables them to determine which flower they should visit in order to gather nectar and pollen. That's good news for the bees, of course, but it also makes it more likely that some of the flower's pollen will stick to a bee and be inadvertently deposited in another flower. How do we know what bees can see? For one thing, there is a long history of behavior experiments based on training bees to respond to specific colors.
Bees can see colors in shades of yellow, green, blue, and ultraviolet light. They cannot, however, see shades of red and cannot distinguish between red and black. The senses of bees are highly developed, especially sight.
In fact, bees possess five eyes and can distinguish as many as four colours. Humans base their color combinations on red, blue and green, while bees base their colors on ultraviolet light, blue and green. This is the reason why bees can't see the color red.
Discover how bees see colors, including UV light, blue, and yellow hues, and learn about the fascinating differences between bee vision and human perception. Bees can see various colors, including ultraviolet (UV) light. They are particularly attracted to blue and purple flowers but cannot see red, which appears black.
Bees have compound eyes with thousands of tiny lenses, allowing them to see a wide field of view and being highly sensitive to light. They have three types of photoreceptors, which enable them to see colors and patterns. Bees can see a wide range of colors, including ultraviolet (UV), blue, violet, green, and yellow.
Bees can also see blue-green, violet, and a unique color called "bee's purple," which is a combination of yellow and ultraviolet light, invisible to humans. Discover the fascinating world of Honey bee vision! Learn how bees see colors, why they can't see red, and how their unique eyesight helps them navigate nature.