Bee brains are shaped like ovals and are around the size of a sesame seed.
Despite their tiny size they have a remarkable capacity to learn and remember things.
They can count up to four, recognise human faces and make complex calculations about things such as travelling distances, angles and foraging efficiency.
Just one hive of bees will use this incredible navigation skill to fly around 90,000 miles each time they collect 1kg of honey. That’s the equivalent of three orbits around EarthEach hive contains three varieties of bee. There are the all-female worker bees, who do all of the labour in and around the hive, male drones whose only job is to fertilise queen bees and the queen herself.
Queen bees can live for a remarkable 5 years and their role is to fill the hive with eggs. In the busy summer months, the queen lays as many as 2500 eggs per day. Queen bees can choose whether they lay male or female eggs.
Due to a different system of nourishment while they are still developing, the queen will grow to twice the size of a common worker bee.
Though they are ruled by a strict hierarchy, bee colonies are surprisingly democratic. If a queen bee isn't performing as she should be or laying enough eggs, the colony may decide to stage a coup and replace her with a new queen. This is called a supersedure. Honey bees live in hives or colonies. The members of the hive are divided into three types: One queen runs the whole hive. Her job is to lay the eggs that will spawn the hive’s next generation of bees. The queen also produces chemicals that guide the behaviour of the other bees. These are all female and their roles are to forage for food (pollen and nectar from flowers), build and protect the hive, clean and circulate air by beating their wings. Workers are the only bees most people ever see flying around outside the hive. These are the male bees, and their purpose is to mate with the new queen. Several hundred live in each hive during the spring and summer. But come winter, when the hive goes into survival mode, the drones are kicked out . Each hive contains three varieties of bee.there are the all female worker bees why do all of the labour in around the hive.
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A wooden box A drill Bamboo sticks Secateurs, saw and screws A hook Take a wooden box and remove one side, or alternatively cut the top off a large plastic bottle. An old bit of piping would also be ideal. This will become the container for your bamboo shoots 2 Cut the bamboo sticks to the same length as the depth of your container. Using different widths of bamboo is ideal, as bees can then choose between the sizes. Alternatively, you can drill deep holes 2-10mm wide into the blocks of wood that fit into your container. Make sure the holes are clean and splinter-free, as bees won’t use untidy holes 3 pack the bamboo stick or blocks of bamboo wood tightly into the box plastic bottle or pipe 4 Attach a hook to the back of your bee house. Hang or place in full sun, facing the south or south east. Your bee house must be at least a metre off the ground and free from surrounding foliage. A honey bee is an insect that collects nectar from flowers and turns it into honey
There are three types of honey bees in a colony: a queen bee, female worker bees, and male drones
The worker bee and the queen are both female bees but only the queen reproduces/lays eggs.
The drones are male bees. Their only job is to mate with the queen
The queen's job is to lay eggs and ensure the hive's social structure (how the bees get along) is maintained by pheromones scent that the queen releases
The worker bees have many jobs including cleaning, collecting honey, pollen, water and propolis, building new comb, taking care of baby bees called larvae and defending the hive
Bees have a marvellous brain the size of a pinhead. A bee can recognise landmarks and retain information on nectar and pollen sources for more than a week
The honey bee has three basic body parts - head, abdomen and thorax
On the head, the honey bee has eyes, a pair of antennae, a tongue and jaws called mandibles
Bees use their tongue to suck water, nectar and honey
They use mandibles for moving pollen and shaping beeswax
The thorax is a middle portion of the honey bee and it contains muscles
The honey bee has two pairs of wings and three pairs of legs
On the rear legs of a honey bee are special structures and hairs that help the bee clean itself and carry pollen
The abdomen is the longest part of a honey bee and has most of the important organs
The abdomen is covered with hard segments that protect the honey bee and also help keep it from drying up
The honey bee sting (found only in female bees) is on the tip of the abdomen
A worker bee's maximum flight range is about five kilometres but most collect nectar and pollen within 800 metres of the hive
A honey bee flies at approximately 24 kilometers per hour Honey bees are super-important pollinators for flowers, fruits and vegetables. This means that they help other plants grow! Bees transfer pollen between the male and female parts, allowing plants to grow seeds and fruit. Bees have 5 eyes and 6 legs Honey bees harvest nectar and pollen from flowering plants.
Male bees in the hive are called drones and they do not have a stinger.
Worker bees are females. They do all the different tasks needed to operate and maintain the hive. Honey bees live in large groups called olonies.An average beehive can hold around 50,000 bees.
Honey bee on flower
This honey bee has pushed its head into a flower to search for nectar. Pollen from the stamens will rub off on its body and get carried to another flower. A Queen Bee can produce 2,000 eggs a day. Fertilised eggs become females and unfertilised eggs become males, with the help of pheromones.
To get more bees in your garden grow more colour.
Bees love blue and love cluster plants like lavender and rosemary.
Bees don't want to sting you because they die.
There are over 20,000 different species of bee, found on every continent except Antarctica.
Honey has been shown to have many health benefits both when eaten and when applied to the skin. The darker the honey the better.
The bee is the only social insect to be partially domesticated by humans .
When bees make decisions about the location of a colony's new nest, hives work as democracies.
