BEE-utiful World of Bees

By Gwyneth Findlay and Landon Snieder (for Ranger Rick)

What insect has two stomachs, five eyes, and can travel at 15 miles per hour? They also produce tasty honey and about a third of your daily diet. It’s a bee!

Bees feed on nectar and pollen, which come from plants. When a bee goes from one plant to another, they carry some pollen along. This pollinates flowers, which allows them to grow.

Bees pollinate flowers, fruits, vegetables, herbs, coffee beans, and different types of grasses. Bees help pollinate enough plants to generate a 14 billion dollar industry (that’s seven zeros!) and feed everyone in America.

Honey Bees
If you see a large hive, it likely belongs to honey bees. They pollinate more than 100 crops annually, and they store up so much pollen and honey that they can survive through the winter. A honey bee dies after using its stinger.

Bumble Bees
These are the most common type of bee we see in the wild. Bumble bees live in large hives, pollinate several species of plants, and are able to sting more than once.

Carpenter Bees
For the plants that bumble bees don’t pollinate, the carpenter bee takes the job. These bees live alone in burrows (holes) in soft wood. Carpenter bees are also able to sting multiple times.

Killer Bees
Be careful around killer bees, because if they are provoked, they will chase their target up to a quarter of a mile. They tend to attack in groups, but like the honey bee, they die after using their stingers.

There are many types of bees. The ones that produce honey are called honey bees, and they live in hives, where they work together to gather food and create nests for bee larvae. Bees in the hive take one of three roles:

Queen
The queen is the mother of all bees in the hive. She may live up to five years. During warmer months, the queen lays 1,000 to 1,500 eggs every day. The worker bees bring her food and protect her, because she does not leave the hive. The queen is able to control the entire hive through chemicals she produces from her body, called pheromones (fair-uh-mones). In the event of the queen’s death, the other bees will bring a special type of honey to the female larvae called “Royal Jelly,” which will help a new queen bee to grow and be able to produce more bees.

Workers
Most of the bees in the hive are female worker bees. Even though they are female, they do not lay eggs, because only the queen bee is responsible for egg-laying. Worker bees have many tasks over the course of their lives. They start as “house” bees, keeping the hive clean, making honey, and storing pollen. When they get older, they create and seal honey combs. Their last task is to protect the hive and collect materials (like pollen) from plants.

Drones
In the summer, male bees fly around to mate with queens from other bee colonies. They do not have stingers, but they have extra-large eyes to help them see the queens. When the weather cools, the worker bees block the drones from entering the hive, as they need to preserve food and shelter for the queen and fellow workers.

Besides honey and pollinating, bees may be known for stinging. A female worker bee may sting someone or something she feels is a threat to the safety of the colony. Honey bees only have one stinger, and they die when they use it.

All bees have a small amount of venom in their stinger, but the venom will have no effect on a human unless they have an allergy.

Many of the world’s bees are disappearing. Earlier this year, the most common type of bumble bee, Bombus Affivis, was put on the endangered species list.

Why are bees disappearing? We aren’t quite sure, but it’s likely a combination of several reasons. One is that pesticides, chemicals that are used to prevent harmful insects from eating crops, are accidentally harming bees as well. Another idea is that the higher temperatures caused by climate change are uncomfortable for bees.

The most mysterious cause is a condition called Colony Collapse Disorder. Colony Collapse Disorder happens when worker bees and drone bees simply disappear. The mystery is that we aren’t finding the bodies of the bees, so they may not be dying. They simply disappear. The bees leave some food for the queen and the other worker bees, but when the winter comes, the hive runs out of food and dies.

You can help protect bees by planting and protecting flowers, especially wildflowers, which bees love. You can also ask your parents to buy local, raw, or organic honey, which are the best types of honey to support bee colonies.

Next time you see a bee in your backyard, stay quiet and still. The bee will most likely move on to its next delicious flowery treat, and you won’t be stung. Everyone wins!