**Can Bees Get Drunk?  In the summer heat, nectar can begin to ferment and create ethanol. Bees that digest this fermented nectar will experience the same effects as humans do when they consume alcohol. Also, tree sap, like that of the lime tree, can also ferment under excessive heat leading to crowds of drunk bees. Bees will also slurp up sugary alcoholic drinks using their proboscis.
       How can you tell when a bee is drunk? Studies conducted on bees have shown that alcohol consumption has a similar affect on bees as it does on humans. Their blood ethanol level shows a spike as they become more and more drunk. Drunken bees may look clumsy when flying around. They move much slower, and as they became more intoxicated, they become less mobile and tend to turn upside down.
       When a drunken bee returns to its hive, the guard bees around the hive will identify it by its erratic motion and will not allow it to enter. The fermented nectar carried by the drunk bee could damage the honey stores of the hive, causing the entire food supply of the hive to go bad.