10 un-bee-lievable (see what we did there?!) reasons why we love the humble honey bee!
They're hard workers
According to the National Honey Board, a single bee may visit more than two million flowers in order to gather enough nectar to make one pound of honey. Now that’s a schedule that makes Richard Branson look like a slacker
Beeswax helps your hear better
Candles made from beeswax are used in ear candling - a treatment popular in China and other Asian countries. This ancient art is said to іmрrоvе hеаrіng bу rеmоvіng wах from the іnsіdе of the еаr.
They have incredible eyesight
Honey bees have five eyes - two large compound eyes and three smaller ocelli eyes in the centre of their head. Bees can also see ultraviolet light, which is invisible to humans.
Bees don’t sleep
Bees are busy creatures - hence the phrase ‘busy bee’ - and never stop to sleep. That said, most bees remain motionless during the night so as to save their energies for the next day.
Bees rarely sting
While wasps and hornets can sting you multiple times, bees typically only sting once and under two conditions… when they’re frightened or looking to protect the colony. Plus the fuzzy pollen collectors invariably always die after stinging people.
Bees don’t have knees
Owing to the popular expression “It’s the bees knees’ many people believe that bees have knees. However the truth is that while bee, like all insects, have legs with joints, they don’t have knee caps as such.
Bees are fab flyers
Honey bees beat their wings 200 times per second and fly at a speed of around 25km per hour. Bees fly as far as five miles for food, although an average distance tends be less than a mile from the hive.
There are three types of bee in a bee colony
Take a bow the single queen, thousands of female workers and, in the summer, male drones. Every autumn, the drone bees are evicted by the female workers for their shy work rate.
Bees have two stomachs
Yes you read right. Bees have two stomachs - one for eating and the other for storing the nectar they collect from flowers and water to take back to their hive.
Bees keep us fed
Around one third of all the food we eat is derived from honey bee pollination. Honeybees pollinate crops such as apples, pears, apricots, watermelon and pumpkins. Without bees, these crops wouldn’t grow.
Bee happy!