Bees of many species contain tiny magnetic particles – suggesting they may have an innate magnetic compass for navigation

Researchers were surprised to find how widespread this magnetic property was, not only across families of bees but also beetles, wasps and flies.

By: Laura Russo, University of Tennessee, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: July 17, 2026

Words: 801

Last Updated: 2 days, 9 hours ago

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By Laura Russo, University of Tennessee

A surprisingly large number and diversity of bee species – 74 out of 96 tested – have magnetic properties, according to research my colleagues and I recently published in the journal Science Advances.

Some animals are able to use iron-based magnetic compounds such as magnetite to detect and navigate via the Earth’s magnetic field – a sense called magnetoreception. We considered magnetism in the insects we tested …

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