‘Drunk’ Bees Are Stumbling Around Australian Parliament House

A group of bees in Australia are taking the term “buzzed” to a new level: People have noticed the flying insects stumbling around Australia’s Parliament House (APH) in Canberra and they have a lot of questions.

Cormac Farrell, Parliament’s head beekeeper, came to the rescue and was able to explain the bees’ strange behavior, Newsweek noted. On Twitter, Farrell discussed how alcohol is to blame for the bees falling out of the sky and acting very tipsy.

A few sharp-eyed folk walking have noticed dead & stumbling #bees on the paths around @Aust_Parliament and have asked what is going on. The answer is alcohol!
As the weather heats up, the nectar in some Australian flowers will ferment, making the foragers drunk. pic.twitter.com/Add2OAdjPu

— Cormac Farrell (@jagungal1) October 10, 2019

“A few sharp-eyed folk walking have noticed dead and stumbling #bees on the paths around @Aust_Parliament and have asked what is going on,” Farrell wrote in a tweet. “As the weather heats up, the nectar in some Australian flowers will ferment, making the foragers drunk.”

The drunk #bees are kept out of the hive to stop the honey from fermenting inside, which could hurt the whole colony.
However, once the honey is finished, you can use it to make some wonderful alcohol, which here @Aust_Parliament we do! pic.twitter.com/rix0YlD29j

— Cormac Farrell (@jagungal1) October 10, 2019

Being a drunk bee though comes with a price: According to Farrell, these bees are kept outside the hive to prevent the honey from fermenting, since it could destroy the entire colony. Once the honey is done though, the Australian Parliament House (APH) makes some really good honey mead.

Usually this makes them a bit wobbly, and if they come back to the #beehive drunk the guards will turn them away until they sober up.
Unfortunately these girls had a bit too much, and have died from the alcohol. pic.twitter.com/YQw4bapbKS

— Cormac Farrell (@jagungal1) October 10, 2019

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