There is something mysteriously captivating about honey bees that draws us deeper into their world. Knowing a few basic honey bee facts may help people understand the uniqueness of the honey bee and the important role they play in our environment.
FACTS:
- Honey bees are the only insects that create food that humans eat.
- A single bee will produce only about 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime.
- Bees can see nearly every color, including ultraviolet, which is invisible to humans, but they cannot see red.
- Honey bees beat their wings 200 times per second, creating their trademark “buzz”.
- ¾ cups of honey can replace 1 cup of sugar. Honey is almost twice as sweet as sugar.
- The queen bee lays all the eggs in the colony. At the height of the season she may lay 2,500 eggs per day.
- A single ounce of honey could fuel a honey bee’s flight all the way around the world.
- Only female bees have stingers.
- A hive will collect approximately 66 pounds of pollen per year.
- Honey bees do not sleep. Instead, they spend their nights motionless, conserving energy for the next day’s activities.
- The honey bee is the official insect of Maine.
- There are 3 types of bees in every hive: a queen, worker bee, and drones.
- Our food system depends upon bees: one in every three bites of food depends on bees for pollination.
- An average bee hive can hold around 50,000 bees.
- Bees fly about 20 MPH.
- Foragers must collect nectar from about 2 million flowers to make 1 pound of honey.
- Bees have 2 pairs of wings.
- Bees have 5 eyes.
- Bees use the sun to help them navigate.
- Bees can discern and remember faces.
- Honey’s antioxidant properties help improve the digestive system and boost immunity.
Bees pollinate approximately 130 agricultural crops in the U.S.
Save the bees. These hardworking insects are clearly vital parts to our ecosystem, acting as highly efficient pollinators of our food crops. The next time you see a honey bee, hopefully you will have a new respect for the magnificent things one tiny creature can accomplish in its lifetime.
BEE HAPPY
Karen Jones
Karen Jones is a backyard beekeeper with 10 hives on her farm outside of the Dallas, Texas area. Her journey with honeybees began 14 years ago as she looked for medicinal properties (honey) to boost her daughter’s immune system. Karen enjoys sharing her LOVE of beekeeping, sharing her honey with friends and neighbors. She is an outspoken advocate for protection of the environment. Her mission is to spread awareness of the importance of honey bees and the joy they have brought to her life.