Trials and Tribulations of the Honeybee Revealed

It’s a safe bet that anyone who comes in contact with a bee will either try to smash it to death, cower in fear, or run like mad. The threat of a sting has given them a bad reputation — but it only takes a few minutes’ worth of this video to make anyone feel sympathetic for the black and yellow buzzers.

As it turns out, bees don’t need any humans to stamp them out; they have enough troubles as-is trying — and failing, in a lot of cases — to keep their colonies alive. Parasites infect them almost from birth, pesticides make them forget how to navigate, and even human activity leads to some stressed-out insects. Worse yet, bees are a part of environments and agriculture alike for a reason. If something happens to them — as it has been, since they’ve reportedly died in droves recently — then at a bare minimum it could spell trouble for anyone who’s ever wanted to snack on a fresh fruit.

It’s hard to believe, but a video like this actually makes bees into sympathetic figures, and not just purveyors of pain. The most sensitive of viewers might want to have some tissues on hand.