This paper proposes a new improved bees algorithm (IBA) for solving the optimal reactive power dispatch problem, aiming to minimize real power loss in power systems. The IBA, inspired by honey bee foraging behavior, combines exploitative and explorative search strategies and has shown superior performance in simulations on the IEEE 57 bus test system. The research highlights the limitations of traditional methods and showcases the effectiveness of the proposed IBA in addressing the complexities of reactive power management.