I rescued a drowning bee, and it said, "thanks man!"

 I have five gallon bucket in my backyard that I use daily to water the vegetation with grey water collected from washing dishes, etc. So it often must have a scent attractive to insects.

Recently there was a bee drowning in there, so I quickly rescued it with an impromptu raft/small plastic lid nearby. I set the life raft down on a table top made of wooden planks. The bee exited the raft and scurried around the table for a few seconds, then it crawled between two wooden planks and sat motionless, waiting for its wings to dry off so it could resume its busy bee normal life. I watched it for about half a minute, then went about doing some chores.

I came back about 5 minutes later, happened to be near the table so I decided to check in on the bee to see how it was doing. It was still motionless, waiting for its wings to dry, but then the strangest thing I've ever seen happened.

It waved to me! It had one leg up, and for several seconds, it was waving it at me, as if saying, "thanks for rescuing me man!"

Now I'm wondering if it's just coincidence or if I'm imagining things. But I look at the bee carefully for a good amount of time.   My head was maybe 3 feet away, I wasn't making any threatening movements, it wasn't trying to crawl into a deeper spot more safely more distant from me. Its body was motionless, the wings weren't moving, aside for that single leg (the one closest to me) that was making a friendly waving motion for several seconds. 

So what else could it have been doing, other than acknowledging that it knew it was an active intention on my part to rescue it, and expressing thanks?

We've all heard of or personally witnessed higher order creatures from the animal kingdom communicating with humans with voice or body language, but anyone else ever had experiences like this with insects?

In Mahayana scriptures there are stories like this, with meditation masters reading the thoughts of insects, but I never quite believed them.

In MN 129, the Buddha talks about the bad karma that leads to rebirth as animals and insects.

https://audtip.blogspot.com/2020/08/mn-129-english-what-kind-of-karma-leads.html

Maybe there's another sensible explanation for the bee waving its leg at me, but I'll tell you this: I felt warm and fuzzy for several days recalling this strange incident. Whether the bee actually realized and acknowledged my role in rescuing it from drowning, I know what I did, and that gives me great joy (pīti) and pleasure (sukha) in regularly reflecting on that incident, and that's why well developed virtue (sīla) leads to easily entering jhāna at will.

Responses 

https://www.reddit.com/r/Buddhism/comments/im0j0v/do_insects_communicate_with_humans_i_rescued_a/

numbersev

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10 hours ago

We've all heard of or personally witnessed higher order creatures from the animal kingdom communicating with humans with voice or body language, but anyone else ever had experiences like this with insects?

Haha I had this happen to me once at work. A bee flew onto a piece of equipment and around for a little bit, landed and started waving at me. I didn't do anything to save it or anything like that. I even took pictures of it and showed it to my family. Just still and raises its little hand.

In your case, I would definitely think they have they capacity to show appreciation for being saved.

Do insects communicate with humans? I rescued a drowning bee, and it said, "thanks man!"

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Post by frank k » Fri Sep 04, 2020 1:12 am

The bigger question behind this one is, if insects lack the intelligence and intention to communicate with humans (and other insects), then how would they ever develop skillful Dharmas and be reborn into higher realms? MN 129 says that through bad karma, beings are reborn as animals, and specifically in the insect kingdom as well.

Re: Do insects communicate with humans? I rescued a drowning bee, and it said, "thanks man!"

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Post by Assaji » Fri Sep 04, 2020 2:17 am

Bees do communicate:

https://www.thoughtco.com/how-honey-bee ... te-1968098

Re: Do insects communicate with humans? I rescued a drowning bee, and it said, "thanks man!"

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Post by binocular » Sat Sep 05, 2020 12:33 pm

The other day after breakfast, I found a wasp in a small bowl of marmalade. It fell in, its wings were all full of the sticky marmalade. I poured water into a bowl, took a toothpick and lifted the wasp out of the marmalade and placed it into the water, to wash off as much of the marmalade as possible. And it seemed as if the wasp understood my intent. It held its head above the water as I worked the water around its wings. I was able to wash off much of the marmalde, and then I placed the wasp on a plant outside the house, to dry its wings.

Post by sunnat » Sun Sep 06, 2020 5:01 am

A hot summer, many years ago, I was cutting wood. The flies were buzzing around my sweaty head and I kept swiping at them and getting more and more flustered.

It became very uncomfortable to generate so much aversion. I decided a bit of metta could help so I relaxed the tightness in my head and tried to think: 'may I be happy peaceful and liberated, may all beings be happy peaceful and liberated...' and, as I let go of the aversion, suddenly the flies receded from me and were no longer crowding in. It was startling. Perhaps some of those flies are now humans. Or, maybe I stopped exuding some attractant, or cooled down and was no longer of interest.

Today I wear a headnet, a sweat band AND practice metta and meditate.

Re: Do insects communicate with humans? I rescued a drowning bee, and it said, "thanks man!"

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Post by SarathW » Sat Sep 05, 2020 2:22 pm

Bundokji wrote: ↑Fri Sep 04, 2020 2:41 amI think beings in general have a sense of threats as part of their survival instinct, which can translate into more intimate or friendly behavior towards those who help them survive or ease their suffering. The significance of this is a matter of personal opinion. Loving other creatures and interpreting their behavior in a personal way is a harmless source of meaning and joy.

I think children, animals perhaps even insects must have developed some instinct to recognise the threat and the friendliness. I can be near a swamp of bees and they will never attack me. However, I was attacked by bees when I disturb their nest.
The wild elephant say thanks and goodbye to the rescue of her baby elephant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=206&v=lEDHRh8gfm8&feature=emb_logo