Literally eye watering: Species of bee found which likes to drink human TEARS



Watch the eyes! A species of bee called lisotrigona loves to lick the tears from your face

If you are not a fan of bees - then close your eyes now.

For scientists have discovered a species of bees that love nothing more than sucking on the sweet nectar of juice that covers your eyeballs.

And the bees come to land so gently under your eyelids, that some people did not even feel the insects, or feel any sensation as the bees started sucking on their tears.

Even closing your eyes doesn't always help, according to the report from the Kansas Entomological Society.

Experimenting with the bees, they reported: 'After landing and whilst sucking tears, human beings often could barely feel the presence of a bee - indeed, checking by mirror was then required to make sure whether it was still there or had left.

'In a very few cases the approach was so gentle that the host human being did not realise he had a bee attached to his lid, imbibing his tears.

'However, when several bees were involved, the experience was rather unpleasant, causing strong tear flow.

'Once a bee had settled and more were approaching, these tended to settle near each other in a row. Closing the eye did not necessarily dislodge bees but some continued to suck at the slit.'

Thankfully the species of bee - lisotrigona - is unlikely to be found at the bottom of the garden. It is only native to Thailand, and has not been found in Europe or the Americas.

It is thought the bees are attracted to miniscule quantities of protein found in our tears. They may also be attracted to the salt content like their New York cousins who, as was reported last week, like to lick the sweat from people on the street.

That's better: A bumblebee tackles a more traditional source of food

The researchers tried to lure the bees away from the eyeballs with other food, such as meat, cheese and even Ovaltine, but the bees only had eyes for one thing - the weeping tears of humans.

Luckily, that good old defence mechanism - the blink - did continue to protect us.



The researchers reported: 'On landing, automatic blinking with the eye often prevented the bee from getting a firm hold, causing it to fall off the eyelashes.