Incredible close-up photos of bees inspire exhibition in Liverpool | Science and technology

There are more than 20,000 species of bees and many are threatened. An exciting new exhibition shows the complicated life of bees.

These are bees like you’ve never seen them before.

There are over 20,000 known species of bees and they are vital to life on Earth because help keep plants thriving.

An immersive new exhibition in Liverpool explores their lives and the threats they now face.

A collaboration between artist Wolfgang Buttress and the World Museum, Liverpool, uses close-up photography, sound, sculpture and light to show the impact the modern world has on bees, inspired by photographs like these from the World Museum’s entomology collection.

“Bees can be seen as sentinels of the earth,” Buttress said.

“Their health and well-being mirror the health of the Earth, and they are dying in unprecedented numbers.

“Their existential challenges mirror ours – they die and suffer, we die and suffer.”

Bees are threatened by a number of factors, including pesticide use, habitat loss and intensive agriculture, according to Friends of the Earth.

“We want to shine a light on the plight of bees and the devastating impact a world without bees would have on humanity,” said World Museum head Anne Fahy.

Bees: A Story of Survival opens at the World Museum, part of National Museums Liverpool, on Saturday 4 May 2024 and runs until Saturday 5 May 2025.