Fun Facts about Bees

For such a tiny creature, Bees have a vital role to play in our ecosystem. Bees are pollinators and help plants and flowers pollinate by collecting pollen and taking it to the female part of the flower. 

Almost 90% of wild plants depend on animal pollination, which means that bees and other pollinating insects are kept busy!

The 20th March is World Bee Day, this is a day to acknowledge the role of Bees in our ecosystem. To celebrate, we wanted to share some of our favourite facts about bees and their buzzy little lives.

Honey Bees & Pollination

Honey Bees live in highly organised colonies, where a single colony can contain tens of thousands of bees. They have one fertile Queen, hundreds of male drones, and thousands of hardworking female worker bees. 

The Queen Bee Rules the Hive

There is only one Queen in each hive, and her main job is to lay eggs. She can lay up to 2,000 eggs a day! When the queen bee dies, the worker bees feed a young larva a special food called royal jelly to raise a new queen bee.

Bees Help Plants Grow and Produce Food

Bees collect pollen and nectar from flowers, which helps fertilise plants and allows them to grow fruit, vegetables, and seeds. Bees help produce one out of every three mouthfuls of our food. 

Bee Venom

Bee venom contains antioxidant properties and has been studied for potential health benefits. But watch out - only female bees can sting, and honey bees can sting only once, while other bees, like bumble bees, can sting multiple times.

Waggle Dance

When a worker bee finds a good source of nectar, she performs a waggle dance to show other bees where to find it. This dance includes directions based on the sun’s position and even uses polarised light.

Bee Colonies Are Built to Last

Honey bee hives are amazing feats of architecture. Bees build hexagonal cells to store nectar, raise new bees, and lay eggs. Each bee has a distinct scent, which helps it identify members of their hive.

Summer and Winter Survival

During the summer months, bees are busy collecting nectar and pollen to store in the hive. In winter months, they live off the stored honey and huddle together to stay warm.

Bees Have a Powerful Sense of Smell

Bees can sense scents with astonishing accuracy. They use their sense of smell to locate flowers, identify their hive, and even detect if a young larva needs attention.

Honey: Nature’s Superfood

Bees make honey by storing nectar in their pollen baskets and mixing it with enzymes. Honey never spoils and has been found in ancient tombs still preserved! It’s not just a food source - it’s a survival staple.

Bees Beat Their Wings 200 Times per Second

That’s how they make the buzzing sound! A single bee may visit hundreds of flowers in one trip, and older bees often take the foraging jobs while younger bees tend the hive.

Bees Live All Over the World

From South America to Europe, bees inhabit every continent except Antarctica. Carpenter bees, bumble bees, and honeybees all contribute to different ecosystems.

Bees in Zero Gravity

Bees have been sent to space! In zero gravity, they still attempt to build a comb and follow their instincts: truly out-of-this-world insects.

Each Bee is Born for a Role

From cleaning cells to guarding the hive, each bee has a job. A single bee’s lifetime of work produces just 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey, so every drop counts!

Bee Kind

To help Bees, start by planting wildflowers in your garden or balcony, even a single pot can help. Native flowers are especially important as they provide nectar and pollen that local bee species depend on. 

Avoid using harmful pesticides that can weaken or kill bees. Opt for organic gardening methods and natural alternatives. Every chemical-free flower is a safe stop for a pollinator on the go.

You can also set up a Bee hotel for these insects, which provides a safe space to rest as the weather becomes harsher for solitary bee species.