It is one of the most fearsome beasts in the animal kingdom, but it seems the mighty elephant is scared of bees. In an effort to stop the creatures munching on African farmers’ crops, scientists set up speakers playing the buzzing of bees. Most of the elephants who approached the area had legged it within about a minute of arriving. It’s thought they linked the buzzing with the painful stings that bees can deliver and decided to run away. The results are fascinating, but researchers are concerned that there may be problems with the scheme as a long-term solution to the elephants’ behaviour.