Facts about Bees
Bees are amazing creatures. From the way they communicate through dance to their remarkable ability to make honey. You may feel that you know a lot about bees. But, here are some common and not so common facts about bees that may amaze you. They are sure to leave you with a deeper appreciation for these important pollinators.
As a Master Beekeeper, I have a close relationship with honey bees. Join me for a journey to learn more about the important insects called bees – prepare to be amazed.
Amazing Bee Facts
Thousands of books have been written about bees – including a lot of beekeeping books that I have on my bookshelf. But, you don’t have to be a beekeeper to be curious. How many of these facts about honey bees and their relatives surprise you?
1. With over 20,000 species of bees in the world, most are not honey bees. Honey bees are only a small part of bees found worldwide.
2. The honey bee’s scientific name is “Apis Mellifera” this is a Latin term for honey-carrying bee.
3. Honey bees are the only insects that produce quantities of food for human consumption.
4. Honey bees and Bumble bees are social bees that live in family groups. Their hives or nests, may be above or below the ground. Most bees in the world as solitary bees that nest alone.
5. Bees and wasps are different but related (similar to cousins) but they have very different life styles and diets.
6. Most bees do not make honey – only those in the genus Apis. Bumble bees make a very small amount of honey but not enough for us to collect.
7. Honey bees are true insects with 3 major body parts (head, thorax and abdomen).
8. Unique in the insect world, a honey bee colony is a social organism that lives as a group from year to year. Most bee nests (including wasp nests) die out at the end of the season and leave only a mated female behind to start over next year.
9. Honey bees can fly up to 15 MPH. And, worker bees can travel several miles from the hive looking for food.
10. Bees really do have knees – A cute phrase used to compliment something really special.
11. Highly defensive honey bees known as Africanized or (Killer Bees) were developed on purpose. Researchers were trying to create a hybrid honey bee that would perform well in the hot climate of South America.
Facts About Bee Family Life
What really goes on inside the beehive? We know these industrious insects are always busy and everyone has a job to do.
12. The home of a honey bee family is called a beehive. Beehives can be made of many different materials but the comb inside is made of beeswax.
13. You will find 3 different kinds of honey bees in the hive. The colony consists of: workers, drones and a queen.
14. Hard working bees need rest, honey bees sleep inside the hive. They don’t have eyelids but these periods of inactivity help them be productive.
15. Worker bees do not do the same job for their entire life. Their tasks change according to their age and the needs of the colony.
16. Some bees in the hive serve as scout bees. It is their job to look for food and to go out to look for new homes for swarms.
17. Honey bees build hexagon shaped beeswax cells in sheets of honeycomb. Hexagons provide the most storage space for food and brood rearing – using the least amount of wax. And they are very strong -The wall of comb can support 25 times its own weight.
18. The number of bees inside a hive varies over the year. But, a summer colony may contain 40,000-60,000 members.
19. Honey bees use a special bee dance language to communicate. The waggle dance and round dance lets others know where to find food.
20. Honey bees make honey from plant nectar in order to survive Winter. During the cold months they stay inside the hive and consume honey. This allows them to vibrate their wing muscles and generate heat.
Facts About Worker Honey Bees
Workers are the female backbone of the colony. They do all the work or tasks that are needed to keep the colony going and growing.
21. All worker bees are female and develop from a fertilized egg laid by the queen.
22. The worker bee literally works herself to death in Summer. Their hard work is celebrated in many bee quotes and sayings.
23. The wings of a honey bee beats 200 times per second – this is what creates the buzzing sound we hear.
24. Worker bees have a special structure called “pollen baskets” on their hind legs. Not a real basket, they are instead made of sharp spines that help hold collected pollen.
25. Honey bees do have a nose – in function. The antennae of a bee functions like a nose with an acute sense of smell.
26. Honey bees have 5 eyes (2 large compound eyes and 3 small ocelli). But the bee sees flowers differently than we do-thanks in part to their ability to see UV light.
27. Workers visit 2 million individual blooms to collect nectar to make 1 pound of honey.
28. Bees can make bread – well kinda. Fresh pollen would spoil – bees convert pollen into bee bread that is easy to digest and lasts a long time.
29. A single worker will make only one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime.
30. Only the females bees in the hive have stingers- workers and the queen. The barbed stinger of a worker becomes embedded in mammal skin. This usually results in the death of the bee.
Important Facts about Bee Products
Of course we know that bees make honey but wax is also a valuable resource from the hive. Both of these have some unique properties that desire attention.
31. Ancient Egyptians used honey and beeswax in many traditional health care practices.
32. Bees do not use pollen to make honey. Plant nectar is used to produce honey. Bees use pollen as a protein source to feed their young. Some humans consume bee pollen for possible health benefits too!
33. Nectar is collected into a special organ called the “crop” or “honey stomach” for the trip back to the hive. Honey is NOT bee vomit as this organ is separate from the digestive tract.
34. One exception to the use of plant nectar to make honey is when the bees collect aphid secretions. This is called “forest honey or honeydew honey“.
35. Honey bees make beeswax using special glands on the underside of their abdomen. These glands produce thin scales of beeswax that the bees shape into honeycomb sheets.
36. When honey is stored properly (protected from humidity) it never spoils.
Final Thoughts
A review of these impressive facts about bees, shows us that they are even more useful than you may have thought. From their intricate social structure to the golden treasures they produce, they play an important role in our lives. We have learned a lot but there are still some mysteries to solve and new things to learn.