'Bee-FFs': Teen rescued bumblebee and now it lives on her and sleeps in a jar by her bed

Lacey Shillinglaw is a 13-year-old girl and her new best friend is a bumblebee. Lacey was on a walk with her dog when she saw a large bumblebee lying on the road. It was evident that the bee couldn't fly but when she picked it up, Lacey saw that its wing was crumpled. Lacey didn't want to leave the bee there as it was common for cars to pass by. She picked it up and tried to put it in a safe spot, on a flower away from the road, but to her surprise, it crawled back onto her hand. She tried to leave the bumblebee on flowers and plants on her way back home but it simply refused to leave her side. After a while, she stopped trying, and let the bee stay on her shoulder and it just stayed there, reported Good News Network. 

Lacey soon realized that the bumblebee had become her pet and now accompanied her everywhere. The loyal pet would always stay on her body and sleep in a jar by her bed. She named the bumblebee Betty. Lacey takes Betty along when she steps out and it even went with her to the bowling alley along with her 14 friends. Throughout the two-and-a-half hours, Betty stayed on Lacey. “I’m so happy and I just love spending my time with her,” said the girl from Coventry. “She’s so fluffy and I love our friendship.”

As she headed back home after spending the evening with her friends, Betty had moved to her face and was perched on the 13-year-old's glasses. She wanted to buy milk and made a stop at her local shop. The other customers were shocked to see a giant bee on her glasses. Lacey loves spending time with Betty, which is always. Lacey often takes the bee and drops her on flowers so she can have nectar but the moment Lacey goes inside, Betty follows her inside. Apart from nectar, Lacey also feeds Betty sugar water, honey, and strawberry jam. In a video posted online, the bee can be seen nibbling at a biscuit that Lacey's eating. 

During the day, Betty is always on Lacey's body, usually on the back of her neck, inside her sleeve, or simply buzzing around the living room. “It’s completely lovely — and also bonkers,” said her mother, Laura. “Betty climbs in Lacey’s long hair like it’s some kind of jungle. “She’s on her 90% of the time during the day, including her face, her glasses, and even in between her toes. It’s so beautiful—just gorgeous.”

While Betty is attached to Lacey and always around her, she stays away from the rest of the members of the family—Lacey's mom, dad, and two younger siblings. Lacey's mom has no idea why Betty refuses to leave the home. “We have all the doors open a lot and she’s just never gone,” said Laura. Bumblebees sting, and unlike honeybees, they can sting without dying, and yet Betty has not once stung Lacey. Betty even lets Lacey stroke her between the wings, which she enjoys. To say they are BFFs is something of an understatement. Even at night, when Lacey goes to bed, Betty stays in a little pot beside her favorite human's bed. While Betty can choose to fly away anytime, she stays in the pot until morning when she can latch onto Lacey again.