The disintegration of the ferrous magnetite (Fe3 +2Fe2 +4O) in bees is an important clue to the disorientation of bees. Magnetite is found in various parts of the bee body, one of which is in the form of granules in the trophocytes. The presence of magnetite in bees is described in http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0000395
The hypothesis is that bees use these magnetite granules to orientate themselves to the Earth's magnetic field. Experiments have also been conducted where other metals were added; it was found that the magnetic function of these granules was lost. Whether the orientation ability in bees was also lost has not been studied.
Orientation to the Earth's magnetic field is still the subject of much discussion. In particular, it is not clear how the mechanism of communicating magnetic changes to the neurological system works. The suggestion has been made that changes in the magnetic field generate electrical signals that are neurologically relevant. The Journal of the Royal Society article http://rsif.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/7/Suppl_2/S207.full describes how magnetoreception is linked to visual perception in bees.
Research into magnetic field perception shows that in birds this occurs in the eye. The Dutch television program ‘Labyrint’ also discusses this phenomenon http://www.wetenschap24.nl/programmas/labyrint/labyrint-tv/2013/maart/Het-zesde-zintuig.html
