Keep Seeing Bees Everywhere? Here's What It Could Mean + What To Do, From Experts

Here's what to know about bee spiritual meanings, and what this insect may mean when the bee continually shows up in your daily life or your dreams.

"Bees symbolize strength, tenacity, and the ability to thrive under difficult circumstances," says animal communicator, psychic medium, and clairvoyant Nancy Mello. They also represent both an individual and a group, with Mello adding, "For instance, a bee might symbolize you as a mother, but also your family as a whole." 

The ancient Egyptians associated bees with royalty, being the symbol of the king in Lower Egypt, according to shamanic healer, spiritual teacher, and adjunct professor at California State University-San Bernardino, Jonathan Jay Dubois Ph.D. "Bees were believed to deliver secret messages to humans from the gods and could deliver healing, as well," he adds.

In ancient Greece, Dubois notes that the Greek goddess Melissa was the goddess of bees—and fed Zeus when he was born. He tells mindbodygreen, "The Greeks are the origin of the understanding of honey as the ‘nectar of the gods,' and it was believed to quench any thirst or satisfy any hunger that the gods have."

In Christianity, Dubois explains, "Bees symbolize God’s love and blessings," with honey representing abundance. 

According to Dubois, Bees were considered a symbol of hidden wisdom in Celtic tradition.

If you begin to notice bees more frequently, there are a handful of spiritual meanings this important insect may be sharing with you.

Each bee has a role in their colonies, creating elaborate hives by working together. "They work hard throughout the day and then come together at night to rest as a collective," Dubois explains. 

The expression "busy as a bee" didn't appear out of nowhere; Bees are busy with all the work they do each and every day. "They are a symbol of hard work and its rewards, working through the day and creating the delicious golden, highly nutritious prize: honey," says Dubois. 

Without bees, a lot of food wouldn't exist! As such, according to Daniel P. Compora, Ph.D., an associate professor at the University of Toledo whose scholarly focus is on folklore and popular culture, bees can represent both fertility and life, because they're essential for pollination.

She adds that each bee has a significant purpose, "as do each and every one of us."

Some bees can sting multiple times, while the honey bee typically only has one opportunity to use its stinger. "Honey bees usually die when they sting someone—they have barbed stingers [and] because of this, bees could represent the life and death cycle," explains Compora.

Bees usually sting when they sense they are in danger, and as aforementioned, honey bees usually lose their own life when they do sting. As such, Compora tells mindbodygreen, "Given that stinging someone results in their death, [bees] could even represent sacrifice—either through death or, more likely, hard work."

Harmon-Luber suggests asking these questions to see what resonates for you when a bee appears in your dream:

Check out our full guide to dreaming about bees for more information.

Finally, Harbom-Luber recommends finding ways to honor bees. She's created collages and other artwork to honor their importance in her life and to our planet, for instance, and also grows native plants that attract bees and other pollinators to her garden.

From insects to mammals, creatures of all shapes and sizes can appear in our lives as a way to communicate messages and information. Similar to dragonflies, a bee could be a hello from a loved one saying they are okay—or they could be encouraging us to get to work in our communities, be a team player, or a reminder to enjoy life.