Honey bees are fascinating insects with numerous fascinating facts. For instance, they can dance to identify a potential nest site and use their wings 11,400 times every minute to produce that familiar buzz!
Bees have two genders – males known as drones and female workers with stingers on them while drones don’t. Workers also possess their own distinct reproductive cycle of egg production before adulthood and later fertilization of fertilized egg sacs with pollen to form eggs for subsequent fertilisation cycles.
1. They are the world’s largest insect
Honey bees are the only insects known to produce food suitable for human consumption; though bumble bees produce something resembling honey, its sweetness doesn’t compare.
On average, bees visit between 50-100 flowers during each foraging trip, carrying 35% of their weight in pollen as pollination is one of their primary roles in crop production (they account for an estimated 80% share).
Bees possess five eyes: two large ones at the front of their heads and three smaller ones on top. Their eyes allow them to sense color, light direction and temperature of surrounding environments; their wings beat 11,400 times per minute to produce that familiar buzzing noise; they can travel at speeds up to 15 mph.
2. They are the world’s oldest insect
Honey bees are among the world’s most domesticated insects. Domesticated since over 4500 BC, they offer many health advantages that span back over centuries – honey being antibacterial, antifungal and emollient properties as well as being a delicious natural sweetener used since ancient Egypt – even King Tut’s tomb held evidence of honey use as sweetener!
Worker bees are all female sterile workers with straight, barbed stingers which only sting once before dying off. Drones, on the other hand, are male bees which serve only one purpose – mating with the queen bee and producing offspring to breed further.
Scientists recently made an amazing discovery: fossils dating back 280 million years containing insects covered in pollen have been unearthed and preserved as fossils, marking it as the oldest evidence of pollen-eating insects. Bees possess five eyes: two large compound eyes and three smaller light-sensitive ocelli eyes in their heads that vibrate 11,400 times per minute to create their distinctive buzz and create the hum.
3. They are the world’s smallest insect
Honey bees are remarkable creatures. Not only are they delicious treats for humans to consume, but their pollination services play a critical role in keeping many crops growing; without their pollination service there would likely be less fruits and vegetables available for human consumption.
Each bee has a distinctive scent that allows it to identify other members of its colony and cohabitate without fear of being attacked by an enemy bee.
Worker bees dance to communicate with their sisters. This dance, known as the waggle dance, lets their sisters know where to find food and water sources. Once believed that male bees would lead a honey bee hive as its “king”, but recent research revealed queen bees are actually dominant species in beehives; male bees do not understand how to feed themselves and are therefore kicked out during autumn when food sources run low.
4. They are the world’s smallest animal
Honey bees are among the tiniest animals on Earth. One buff-tailed bumblebee, for instance, boasts an enormous brain which rivals that of a poppy seed! Furthermore, bees are one of the most efficient pollinators available; every third mouthful we consume comes directly from their hard work as pollinators.
Bees produce their signature buzz with wings that flap 11,400 times per minute, creating their distinctive sound as well as producing honey with over 500 different chemicals forming its aroma.
Honey bee colonies contribute $15 billion each year to the US economy through crop quality improvement and yield enhancement, and even mead production! Mead may be one of the oldest fermented drinks ever made using diluted honey dating back as far as 7th Century BC!
5. They are the world’s smallest insect larva
Honey bees may seem small in size but have amazing abilities despite their size. They can travel up to 60 miles each day while withstanding freezing temperatures, as well as using their antennae to detect smells using their sense of smell.
Honey bees reside in hives managed by a queen bee and are comprised of millions of worker bees and drone bees managed by her. Worker bees perform multiple duties within each hive such as building and maintaining it, collecting pollen and nectar for feeding larvae, fanning out the comb to produce honey, cleaning, fanning out to make honeycomb fanning honeycomb and more.
Honey bees possess five eyes – two large compound eyes and three smaller ocelli eyes in their heads – which allow them to detect polarized light. As such, they are adept at navigating their environment even during cloudy conditions.
6. They are the world’s smallest insect pupa
Bee wings beat at an astonishing 11,400 times per minute, creating the signature buzz sound associated with them. Their wings help maintain a constant internal temperature that’s essential for keeping the hive warm and foraging activities underway.
Honey bees possess five eyes; two large compound eyes and three smaller ocelli eyes in their center head to detect dark and light transitions.
Honey bees have over 300 taste sensors on their antennae and play an essential role in vineyard ecosystems by pollinating vines, replenishing soil nutrients, and drawing in predators that reduce pesticide runoff. A vineyard filled with buzzing bees is an indicator that it’s healthy and thriving! Discover more about bees at Jordan Estate’s Apiary Tour or Hike, so book today!
7. They are the world’s smallest insect adult
Honey bees are unique among insects in that they produce food we humans eat – one of nature’s most amazing creations! On this page, you’ll find interesting honey bee facts, scientific studies and other noteworthy details regarding these fascinating insects.
Honey bees possess large compound eyes with sensitive antennae and intricate mouthparts for collecting nectar and pollen. Their powerful flight muscles and glands housed within their thorax are responsible for collecting nectar and pollen while six segments on their abdomen contain both female reproductive organs in queen bees as well as male reproductive organs found on drones.
Worker bees help maintain optimal conditions within their hive by fanning away heat, cooling down temperatures and ventilating. Scientists have decoded the dance moves bees use to communicate among themselves about food sources – this technique is known as the waggle dance – it took two years of research before scientists unlocked its secret code.
8. They are the world’s smallest insect adult
One pound of honey requires two million flowers and the pollen carried by bees equals up to 80% of their bodyweight.
Honey bees go through complete metamorphosis and go through four life stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Fertile eggs become female workers while unfertilized ones produce male drones; only workers possess stingers while drones don’t.
Workers perform various duties for their hives, such as collecting nectar and pollen, creating wax cells and honeycomb, feeding young, guarding the hive, cleaning it out periodically, foraging for pollen sources that contribute to maintaining an ecosystem that thrives, such as vineyards. Each worker bee possesses five eyes: large compound eyes as well as three smaller ocelli; these make up their main segments – head, thorax and abdomen.
9. They are the world’s smallest insect adult female
Honey bees are insects that produce a sweet liquid known as honey for food and protection of their hive, wound healing and burn treatments as well as fermenting it to make a fermented wine called mead.
Bees use straw-like tongues to siphon liquids off surfaces while their mandibles help them chew food. Bees also store nectar in special glands in their antennae which also contain over 300 taste sensors for tasting new things.
Female honey bees, commonly known as workers, possess stingers while male bees known as drones are employed solely to mate with the queen bee. One pound of honey requires nectar from approximately 2 million flowers to produce; therefore bees need to travel around the globe multiple times in order to collect enough nectar!
10. They are the world’s smallest insect adult male
Honey bees are widely-distributed flying insects best known for collecting nectar from flowers to create honey, while their primary commercial value lies in pollination of crops.
Honey bees possess two stomachs; one for eating and one for turning nectar into honey. Their antennae are equipped with over 300 taste receptors while worker bees carry pollen baskets (corbicula) on their hind legs to collect pollen.
Bees beat their wings 12-15,000 times per minute to stay aloft, creating what is known as the “bee hum”. Bees can communicate with one another by dancing. When they detect an ideal nest site, bees will dance until a critical mass of other bees agree on where to build their home hive. In addition, their sense of smell helps locate it; and bees appear to possess something resembling human midbrain structure which may provide some degree of consciousness for decision making purposes.