Since ancient times, bees have been central to many cultures. These distinctly colored insects are essential for maintaining a balanced ecosystem, and they play a large role in the success of crop growth. As one of the most industrious and loyal species, the bee has become a well-loved tattoo design.

So if you’re considering getting a bee tattoo of your own, we’re here to help you make a well-thought-out decision. Below, we’ve put together a complete guide on bee tattoos, including a bee tattoo dictionary spelling out the meanings behind these bee designs, as well as tips on bee tattoo placement, styles, and tattoo pairings. So read on and learn about your favorite bees!

All it takes to understand the incredibly central role that bees play in our ecosystems and lives is to tune in to the ongoing discussion over these last few years about their slow, unexplained disappearance from their natural habitats. It’s a full-fledged crisis, with the impact of the bees’ absence having waves of consequences that affect every being on the planet.

Now, we’re not here to get into the ecological consequences of the bees’ disappearance, but this does point to just how important bees are to us. And for millennia, they have captured the human attention and imagination, figuring prominently in many different cultures both ancient and modern.

Looking into the distant past, the Mayans, Hindus, Egyptians, ancient Greeks, and other cultures all acknowledged the power of the all-mighty bee. In Mayan culture, bees were considered a symbol of fertility, given the deity Ah-Muzen-Kab, who can be found on the walls of the temples with unfurled wings, ready to fly toward his altar.

In Hinduism, many different gods are associated with bees. Specifically, the gods Vishnu, Krishnu, and Indra are called Madhava, which translates to “the nectar-born ones,” and their symbol is the bee. Interestingly, there is even a Hindu bee Goddess named Bhrami, a word which means “bees” in Hindi. It’s said that Bramari resides in the heart chakra and emits the buzzing sound of bees, which is often imitated in Vedic chants, representing the essential sound of the universe.

In Egypt, the bee was a symbol of royalty and power, thought to be born from the tears of Ra, a sun god. In fact, the ruler of Lower Egypt was often called “He who belongs to the Bee.”

In ancient Greece and ancient Rome, bees feature in many myths. In particular, they were often connected with the Muses, who were said to give mortals the gift of eloquence by placing honey on their lips. Bees were also associated with the underworld and the souls of the dead, and their honey was considered to be a food that granted immortality to the gods.

Since then, the bee was prominently featured in art at the Vatican, became the imperial symbol of Napolean Bonaparte, was associated with Cupid during the Renaissance as a symbol of love, and was employed as an emblem of modern society by several prominent political theorists.

We could go on but the point is probably more than clear at this stage: bees are a symbol incredibly rich with meaning, and they have been for a long, long time. So if you want to get a bee tattoo, there are many possible different meanings that you can choose to associate with them.

So let’s get into the different meanings that you might be able to attribute to your bee tattoo. Generally speaking, bees are known to be associated with the following meanings.

GENERAL BEE TATTOO MEANINGS

Due to the nature of their work in hives, in which they work diligently all day to create honey for the good of the whole collective, bee tattoos can be associated with teamwork, loyalty, love, and family. Their hardworking nature is also responsible for them symbolizing qualities like tenacity, dedication, duty, and structure.

The fact that worker bees die after they sting and work their entire, short lives for the benefit of the queen bee and the hive has also caused them to be associated with sacrifice and devotion. Meanwhile, thanks to the incredibly sophisticated design of honeycombs, another bee tattoo meaning is intelligence – as well as nature, as bees are a part of the natural world.

Further, because beehives were sometimes used during ancient wars, a bee tattoo might also be associated with defense, destruction, and chaos.

And finally, for obvious reasons (honey), bee tattoos can also be a symbol of sweetness.

That being said, there are also certain bee tattoo designs that may carry specific meanings based on their attributes. Here are a few examples.

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