Answer & explanation
The official answer, with Fermi’s reasoning step by step.
Answer & explanation
Official answer
3,500
bees
How to estimate it
Fermi’s official “Napkin math”
A paperclip weighs about a gram. A bee is a lot lighter than that, mostly wings and fuzz. How much lighter? Call it a tenth of a gram.
- A pound of bees
- ≈ 450 g
- One bee
- ÷ 0.1 g
- 450 ÷ 0.1
- ≈ 4,500
A slice of bread weighs about an ounce. How many bees would it take to match one slice? A bee is tiny and mostly wings, so a few hundred. Call it 200.
- Bees in an ounce
- ≈ 200
- Ounces in a pound
- × 16
- 200 × 16
- ≈ 3,200
Rounded assumptions may give a slightly different estimate. The official answer above is the game’s reference value.
Source calculation & reference
- Package bees, per pound (MAAREC, University of Delaware Extension)
- ≈ 3,500 bees
- Cross-check: a 3 lb package holds about 12,000 workers (NC State Extension)
- ≈ 4,000 per lb
- Cross-check: 454 g ÷ a worker bee of about 0.12 g
- ≈ 3,800
- Extension rule of thumb
- ≈ 3,500
Reference cited by Fermi: MAAREC (University of Delaware Extension) package bees guide: each pound is about 3,500 bees
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