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The Power of a Hive Mentality

A bee-autiful project with a mission

Jill (Conquering Cognitions)
3 min readJun 1, 2022
A honeybee sucking nectar from a daisy.
Image by soufiane koraichi from Pixabay

In 2008, Matt Willey had a life-changing experience with a bee.

In his interview with American Lifestyle, Willey shared that a dying bee flew in his window and landed on his rug. Shortly after, it died. After doing some research, Willey learned that sick bees do not return to their hive because they don’t want to transmit their illness or disease to the rest of the colony.

Instead, a bee will fly somewhere else to die, which happens quickly without the protection of the hive. A bee will sacrifice itself to protect the health of the community.

This behavior may initially seem sad, but when you think about it from the perspective of every bee working to protect all bees, it is powerful. The hive mentality of working together for the greater good is something worth promoting.

To raise awareness for this fascinating insect that plays an integral role in our ecosystem, Willey created The Good of the Hive, a global art project.

He has committed to painting 50,000 honey bees in murals around the world. Why 50,000? That is the average number of bees in a healthy, thriving hive.

“The hive I am creating is a metaphor for us all…no matter your color, nationality, religion, gender, age, or…

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Jill (Conquering Cognitions)
Jill (Conquering Cognitions)

Written by Jill (Conquering Cognitions)

PsyD, Clinical Psychologist | Writer | Words in Human Parts, Forge, Better Humans | Life Lessons Supported by Science

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