Would you ever consider befriending a bee? Chances are you’d say no, unless you enjoy going into anaphylactic shock from a bee sting. The fear of ending up in a hospital is enough to deter many from getting anywhere near a bee. After all, it’s best to allow beekeepers to deal with them, right? But in the Highlands of Inverness, one woman by the name of Fiona Presly decided that she would turn a bumblebee queen that was down on her luck into a pet bee, and now the two have formed a bond that’s got everyone buzzing about it.Presly, who is a library assistant, enjoys her time hanging with the queen herself, or rather, a bumblebee queen. Despite being two completely different species, Presly and her majesty are loving each other’s company.
Besides, where else is a queen who was born without wings supposed to turn to when she’s basically all alone in the world? Clearly, her majesty was lost and without a hive, and Presly was more than happy to rescue her and show her some love.
Bee will sit on Presly’s nose and won’t sting her. Then again, you wouldn’t either if she were your only friend. Girls have to stick together these days! The two of them are like two peas in a pod and neither of them want to be too far apart from each other.
She put her hand out and Bee crawled onto her hand almost immediately. It’s as if she’d been waiting for someone to make friends with and that friend was Presly.
Now Bee gets to lodge in Presly’s garden free of charge. Of course, Bee would prefer to eat, drink, sit, groom, and sleep on Presly’s hands whenever her human is willing and able. Unlike most human/bee relationships, which might end badly, these two are completely relaxed with one another.
While some people will bond with conventional pets like cats, dogs, snakes, hamsters, and fish, Presly has proven to the world that a relationship with insects, particularly a queen bee is in fact possible to achieve. Now we kind of want one! Awww.
Lars Chittka, who is a professor of behavioral ecology at Queen Mary University of London, decided to speak with Presly to learn more about this unique bond. Chittka claims that given that a queen would prefer to be surrounded by bees in her hive, Presly should feel happy that Bee chose her as her BFF.
Presly herself, who’s happy as can “bee” with her insect queen friend now keeps a detailed journal of her relationship with Bee. Then again, wouldn’t you if you had a friend who just so happened to be a monarch?
