Ants Bring Flower Petals To Cover Deceased Bumblebee In What Looks Like 'Funeral'

May 22, 2019 by apost team

A viral video taken recently seems to show ants bringing flower petals and spreading them around the dead body of a bumblebee. The ants meticulously placed pink flower petals in a complete circle around the bee. Nicole Webinger, the woman who filmed the video, says it looked like the ants were taking part in a funeral.

The video posted by Nicole has been viewed more than a million times and there are almost as many theories about what exactly the ants were trying to accomplish. Many viewers did not buy the assertion that a group of ants was actually holding a funeral for the bumblebee.

One viewer chimed in with a theory he felt was backed by science. He explained that it was common for ants to build walls around insects, animals, or other food they want to save for later. Usually, they use rocks and sticks to accomplish this.

apost.com

The viewer theory is the wall made with rose petals will both serve to hide their prize from other ant colonies and provide the ants that built the wall with a road map to return to the treasure. The ants would also be able to better transport their large harvest a bit at a time.

Another viewer commented the ants could be making a trash heap. This viewer says she learned on Ants Canada that ants and bees share the same family. Because of this, the bodies of the insects release similar pheromones at death. Ants bury the bodies of their dead far away from where they nest.

Ants will also discard trash from within the colony in the same place they use to bury the dead bodies. Discarding the trash and dead bodies in heaps helps to cultivate springtails that feed on the dead bodies and other trash.

The viewer ended her science lesson by telling other viewers it is just not feasible for ants to display the altruistic behavior they believe they are witnessing.

In the end, the reason the ants have surrounded the bumblebee with rose petals is not as important as the reminder of how wonderful nature can be to observe.

Do you have a theory about the true intentions of the ants? Would you stand by your own theory in the comments? Send this article and video to friends. They will be amazed by the actions of the ants, too!