When a small bumblebee lost her wings, she was left in a desperate situation. Without the ability to fly, survival in the wild seemed impossible. In her time of need, the bee made an unexpected choice — she turned to a kind woman named Shay.
“The bee walked right up to me and crawled onto my hand,” Shay recalled in a video for The Dodo.
At first, Shay thought the bee was simply being curious. But after a closer look, she realized something was wrong.
“She didn’t have wings,” Shay said. “And it was so hot outside.”
Without hesitation, Shay cradled the bee gently and took her to the safety of her car, where she could rest in peace. Once at home, Shay set the bee up in a spacious terrarium filled with fresh flowers — a place where she could enjoy a comfortable snack.
“She seemed to know exactly what she wanted to eat,” Shay remarked.
Shay watched as the bee regained her strength, relearning how to climb and navigate her space. Wanting the bee to stay connected with nature, Shay frequently took her outside so she could see other bees gathering pollen.
As the days passed, Shay grew increasingly fond of her tiny companion.
“She became more and more of a best friend each day,” Shay said.
What began as an unlikely bond soon blossomed into an even stranger friendship — that between the bee and Shay’s cat, Pyro. “I didn’t mean for them to meet, but Pyro was incredibly curious about her,” Shay said. “He knew she wasn’t a toy. He would lie next to her terrarium, and she seemed to bond with him, wanting to be close to him.”
Despite knowing that her tiny guest’s time on Earth was limited, Shay cherished every moment they had together.
“Bumblebees live for about 28 days,” Shay said. “A month later, we still had her.”
In the end, Shay was amazed at how deeply a small creature had touched her heart.
“I thought I was just caring for her,” Shay said. “But I never imagined I’d end up loving her.”