From Gerald Legg, Hurstpierpoint, West Sussex, UK
Rereading Leah Crane's account of bees in the US suddenly stopping buzzing during the 2017 solar eclipse reminded me of the last UK total eclipse, on 11 August 1999 (20 October 2018, p 18). Researcher Candace Galen says it wasn't clear whether the bees flew back to their hives or stayed put.
I am a biologist and beekeeper. In my garden taking eclipse photos and watching and listening to the wildlife, I observed that birds and insects went quiet. The bees didn't fly home, but rested on the flowers as they do when sudden cloud reduces light levels. Once the light returned, they continued working.
