Honeybee swarms can generate as much electricity as a thunderstorm.

According to a study, honeybee swarms can generate as much electricity as a thunderstorm. Researchers from the university of Bristol in the United Kingdom found this by chance and they describe it in a study that was published in journal iScience. Biologist Ellard Hunting, first author on the study with team was studying how different organisms use the static electric fields that are everywhere in the environment. Atmospheric electricity has variety of functions like controlling weather patterns and helping organisms, such as in helping them find food. Because of air friction, all insects develop a charge during flying, however the quantity of the charge varies from species to species. This effect (in swarming bees) "came as a surprise," according to Hunting, because individual bees carry a charge that is too little for researchers to see. Because of air friction, all insects develop a charge during flying, however the quantity of the charge varies from species to species. ...