Tens of thousands of honeybees in Spain's Canary Islands can now add "survived a volcano" to their bucket list. We will add it for them since they are bees.
The story of five honeybees who were left unattended after the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano in La Palma was told in the New York Times on Saturday. The bees were covered in volcanic ash when the beekeeper returned.
The scene inside the hive was completely different. The bees that were found by the beekeeper were part of the local Canary black bee species, which had survived the heat and poisonous gases released by the volcano. They may have been lucky because they were covered with light and porous ash, which allowed air to pass through the hive.
Some honeybees on La Palma were not so lucky. The bees were killed by lava, which covered the closest hive.
The main part of the bees survival was propolis, according to Antonio Quesada, a fellow beekeeper and a spokesman for the Gran Canaria Beekeepers Association. Propolis is a sticky substance that bees make from plants and buds. Propolis is often used to smooth rough surfaces or seal crevices.
Propolis was used by the La Palma bees. The volcanic gases can be harmful to people, animals, vegetation, and property, so they sealed themselves inside their hive. The bees ate from the honey stores inside their hive.
The ability to survive is something that the tiny animal has been around for hundreds of thousands of years.
They did more than that. They left a small pathway to the outside so they could get out one day.
The moral of the story is that honeybees are the best preppers for the end of the world. We could learn from how things are going. Scientists have no idea when the eruption of Cumbre Vieja will stop.
