How bees live: anatomy, life cycle, castes, communication and behavior.
A healthy honey bee hive holds roughly 40,000 to 60,000 bees at its summer peak, and a very strong colony can go higher. In winter the same hive shrinks to about 10,000 to 15,000 bees, sometimes more in a big colony or a mild climate. Almost all of them are female worker bees, with one…
Bees are usually seen as helpful creatures. They pollinate plants and make honey. But what happens when bees go bad? This intriguing question might seem strange, but it’s a real concern for many. Bees can become aggressive or cause unexpected problems. Understanding why this happens is essential for both safety and curiosity. Bees play a…
There are about 20,000 known types of bees in the world, and roughly 4,000 of them are native to North America. Most people only ever notice a handful: honey bees, bumble bees, carpenter bees, mason bees, leafcutter bees, sweat bees and mining bees. You can tell them apart by size, color, how hairy they are,…
Bees like to build hives in tree cavities or in protected areas like wall voids or underground. Bees choose these locations for their hives due to the shelter and security they provide from predators and the elements. Building hives in tree cavities allows bees to utilize the natural protection offered by the tree’s strong outer…
Bees can have hives in the ground. Bees have the ability to create hives not only in trees and buildings, but also in the ground. Ground-nesting bees, also known as solitary bees, dig tunnels in the soil to construct their nests. These bees typically prefer dry and sandy soils, where they can easily burrow and…
Beehives are hexagonal because this shape allows bees to maximize space utilization and optimize structural stability. In nature, bees have evolved to build hexagonal cells due to the geometric efficiency they offer. Beehives are fascinating structures that have been meticulously engineered by bees for millions of years. The hexagonal shape is not a random choice…
Africanized honey bees, or “killer bees,” are both a blessing and a curse in nature due to their aggressive behavior and potential impact on ecosystems and human populations. These bees, a result of crossbreeding between African and European honey bees, possess valuable traits such as resistance to pests and diseases, and increased honey production. However,…
Honey bees have the ability to recognize faces, a fascinating aspect of their natural behavior. They can distinguish between individual faces using their specialized visual system, showcasing their advanced cognitive skills. Bees are known to use this face recognition ability not only for recognizing other bees but also for identifying and remembering faces of human…
Bees predict weather changes before us by sensing changes in atmospheric pressure and humidity. Rainy days can be foretold by bees as they sense changes in atmospheric conditions. As creatures sensitive to their surroundings, bees react to changes in atmospheric pressure and humidity, allowing them to predict the arrival of rain before humans do. Their…
Bees dance with lunar cycles to communicate with other bees in their hive about the location of food sources. They have the ability to perceive and synchronize their movements with the phases of the moon, allowing them to effectively coordinate their foraging efforts. This lunar dance is a fascinating example of how bees, with their…