Did you know that many foods and crops rely on bee pollination? Thanks to bees and other pollinators we can enjoy rich, plant based diets and slice tomatoes on our bread. In recent years number of bees are in decline due to many hardships and difficulties they face. Whether you are fascinated by them or fear them, the one thing to remember when it comes to bees, is that we truly need them!
- They are long distance travellers! A honey bee can fly as fast as 20 kilometres per hour.
- Even bees have personalities! Researchers at the University of Illinois found that some bees are thrill-seekers. Others are a bit more timid.
- It’s a women’s world! The male bees make up only about 15 percent of the colony.
- Bees entertain each other! They perform dances to point where the food is.
- Bees like their coffee too! Scientists at Newcastle University found that nectar laced with caffeine helps bees remember where the flower is.
- Honey is magic! It is the only food that includes all the substances necessary to sustain life, including enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and water. And these guys are the only ones who know how to do it!
- They appreciate the little things and everything pretty! A worker bee may visit 2,000 flowers per day.
- And there you go, being ‘busy as a bee’ might not be so good after all. During the busiest months, worker bees work themselves to death and live for about 6 weeks. Pretty crazy thinking that the queen can live up to 5 years!
- And the beat goes on! The famous bee sound is made by their wings which beat up to 200 times per second.
- After reading these facts, it goes without saying that these guys are phenomenal! And we do need them: “If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live?” – Albert Einstein
