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Cool Facts About Bees

Although not everyone may think so, bees are insects that have many important purposes. Bees help to pollinate flowers, which is how they can bloom and grow more.

They also make honey, which animals and people love to eat as well as make many things with. Continue reading to find out more information about bees.

honey bee

Quick Bee Facts

  • All colors are visible to bees except red.
  • The ability to smell aids a bee in finding the flowers from which to gather pollen.
  • The honey bee is a skilled flier. They beat their wings 200 times per second as they fly at a pace of about 25 km/h.
  • As she builds her colony, a honey bee queen may lay up to 2000–3000 eggs every day.
  • Honey bees form a “winter cluster” to stay warm throughout the winter.
  • Additionally, honey bees are excellent dancers!
  • Bees’ wings beat 11,400 times per minute which is why they make so buzzing noise!

What Are The Characteristics Of A Bee?

Bees belong to the insect family which means that they have six legs and three parts to their body, which are the head, the thorax, and the abdomen.

They have short, thick bodies that are covered with hair and can be anywhere from the size of a grain of rice all the way to the length of your big finger.

Yellow Potter Wasp

Bees are different from wasps because they have small combs on their arms to help them clean their antennae and they also have unique wings.

Worker bees are hardworking. They collect nectar by going to many flowers in a day. They make multiple collection trips in a day. In a single collection trip, a bee often visits 50 to 100 flowers. 

Where Do Bees Live?

There are over 20,000 different species of bees that can be found in almost every place in the entire world, besides Antarctica.

Bees need flowers in order to survive, so they can be found in any habitat that has flowering plants.

During the winter, they cluster together to conserve warmth and live off the pollen and stored honey. A single bee hive can accommodate 50,000 bees. 

What Do Bees Eat?

Bees mainly eat the nectar and pollen from flowers. Nectar is a liquid that comes from flowers which is very sugary and gives the bees energy.

Pollen is a type of powder that comes from flowers and is used to feed bee babies, which are called larvae.

nectar
Bee hunting for nectar

Lifespan Of Bees

Worker bees have short life, no longer than 6 weeks. During it’s lifetime the bee produces twelfth of a teaspoon of honey.

The queen bee on the other hand lives up to 5 years. During the summer months a single queen bee lays 2000 to 2500 eggs a day.

Do Bees Have Any Predators?

There are a few predators that will hunt bees, and these include some birds, reptiles, small mammals, and even other insects like dragonflies.

Large mammals, like bears, are known for completely destroying bees’ hives in order to eat the honey that is inside.

How Does A Bee Protect Itself?

One of the first ways that bees protect themselves is by building their hive in a very secret spot.

By building their hive in a place that is hard to find – or really hard to reach – they are protecting themselves against animals that might want to try to eat them.

gathering honey from bees
Beekeeper examining honeycomb in garden

Another way that bees will defend themselves is by stinging. Ouch!

Female bees have a stinger on the end of their body and they will use it to sting something that might be threatening it.

The stinger comes out of the bee’s body and stays in the victim, releasing new venom while also signaling to other bees to come and help.

bee sting

While bee stings can be painful, they aren’t serious unless you are allergic to them.

Honeybees Are Not The Only Bees

Honey bees, although well-known for their crucial role in pollination and honey production, are not the only bees that exist. There are over 20,000 species of bees worldwide, each playing a unique part in the ecosystem. Bumblebees, mason bees, carpenter bees, and many others contribute to pollination and the cultivation of diverse plant species. These diverse bees exhibit varying sizes, behaviors, and nesting habits, showcasing the incredible diversity within the bee population. Recognizing and protecting all bee species is vital for maintaining a balanced and healthy environment.

Bees Are Vegetarians

Bees are fascinating creatures that play a vital role in our ecosystem. Surprisingly, these industrious insects are vegetarians. They rely on nectar and pollen from flowers as their primary food source. Bees have evolved specialized mouthparts called a proboscis that enable them to extract nectar from the depths of flowers. As they collect nectar, they inadvertently transfer pollen from one flower to another, facilitating pollination. This mutually beneficial relationship between bees and plants ensures the reproduction of countless plant species, making bees an essential component of our vegetarian-friendly ecosystem.

Bees Can Be Parasitic

Bees, typically known for their crucial role as pollinators, can also exhibit parasitic behaviors. Certain species, such as the cuckoo bee, have evolved to exploit the nests of other bee species. They lay their eggs in the host bee’s nest, where their larvae consume the host’s resources and even kill the host’s offspring. This parasitic behavior allows the cuckoo bee to bypass the energy-intensive process of building and maintaining its own nest. While most bees are beneficial to ecosystems, these parasitic species demonstrate a fascinating adaptation within the diverse world of bees.

Bees See UV Light

Bees possess a remarkable ability to perceive ultraviolet (UV) light its the most unknown facts about bees. Unlike humans, who cannot see UV light, bees have specialized photoreceptor cells in their eyes that enable them to detect this spectrum. UV vision plays a crucial role in their daily activities, such as locating nectar-rich flowers, distinguishing patterns on petals, and navigating their surroundings. This unique visual adaptation allows bees to forage for food and communicate with each other efficiently. The ability to see UV light grants bees a fascinating perspective on the world, unveiling a hidden dimension of color and information that is invisible to our eyes.

Quick Bee Facts

  1. Bees have six legs and three parts to their body.
  2. There are over 20,000 different types of bees.
  3. Bees have as many as 5 eyes in all – 2 compound eyes and 3 simple eyes.
flowering-plant-nectary
  1. Bees eat nectar and pollen from flowers.
  2. They have a few predators including birds, reptiles, small mammals, and dragonflies.
  3. Bees protect themselves by building their hives in hidden places and using their stinger. They play an important part in our environment.
  4. A worker bee dies after it stings most mammals as they have barbed stingers. However they do survive after stinging insects. A queen bee has smooth stingers and can survive stinging mammals and insects.
dragonfly eyes
  1. For example, they are one of the main ways that flowers become pollinated, which helps them to grow in the first place!
  2. Bees also give us honey and many other products that have honey in them. As long as we don’t bug them, they won’t bug us!
  3. Honey is actually sweeter than sugar by 25%.
queen bee and bees
Queen bee with other bees
  1. Usually there is just the one queen in a hive. If the queen dies, the worker bees can make a new fertile queen by feeding one of the worker females a special food that we call “royal jelly”.
  2. A hive of bees must collectively travel 50,000 miles to produce one pound of honey.
  3. In a year, a single hive can produce 50 to 100 pounds of honey.
  4. The antioxidant pinocembrin is only found in honey.
  5. Except for red, bees can see all colors. This, combined with their sense of smell, allows them to locate the flowers from which they collect pollen.
  6. Each bee has 170 odorant receptors, which indicates they have a keen sense of smell.
Bee Eggs
  1. A bee egg takes 21 days to develop into an adult bee.
  2. Honey bees are excellent flyers. They fly at about 15 miles per hour and beat their wings extremely fast. How fast? Well, up to 200 times per second
  3. There are over 200,000 beekeepers in the United States.
  4. When collecting honey or relocating a hive, beekeepers use smoke to calm the bees.
  5. Bees have jointed legs without knees.
  6. The drone bees are all male, rest are all females.
  7. Honey bees do not really sleep at night. For the most part, they lie motionless and conserve energy.
drone bee
A lone drone bee
  1. Drones cannot sting. They die after mating with a Queen bee. Their life’s sole purpose is to fertilize the queen.
  2. A worker bee can carry up to 80% of its body weight of pollen and nectar.
  3. A honey bee has two stomachs, one for storing nectar and one for storing food that it eats.
  4. Members of a hive can identify each other by their unique scent. Bees of other hives would have a different scent.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do bees eat their own honey?

No, bees do not eat their own honey. Honey is their primary food source during the winter when no flowers or nectar are available. They store excess honey in the hive as a reserve for the colony’s survival. Bees consume nectar and pollen, not their own honey.

2. How fast do bees fly?

Bees fly at an average speed of 15 miles per hour (24 kilometers per hour). However, their speed can vary depending on factors such as weather conditions and the purpose of their flight. Some species of bees can fly even faster, reaching speeds of up to 20 miles per hour (32 kilometers per hour).

3. How far will honey bees travel?

Honey bees typically travel within a range of 1-5 miles from their hive to forage for nectar and pollen. This distance allows them to explore a variety of floral sources while efficiently collecting resources for their colony. Their navigation abilities and foraging patterns contribute to the pollination of plants in their surroundings.

Conclusion

In conclusion, bees are fascinating creatures that play a vital role in our ecosystem. Through this blog, we have learned some cool facts about honey bees and a plethora of intriguing bee facts that highlight their importance and uniqueness. Bees are responsible for pollinating a significant portion of our food supply and contribute to our planet’s biodiversity. 

Bees exhibit remarkable intelligence and organization, from their complex communication and social structures to their impressive honey-making abilities. However, they face numerous challenges, including habitat loss and pesticide use, which threaten their survival. It is crucial for us to recognize the significance of bees and take proactive steps to protect them, ensuring a sustainable future for both these incredible insects and ourselves.

Animals and Insects

Insects

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