‘Bees’, ‘wasps’, ‘yellow jackets’, ‘hornets’- the mere mention of these words is enough to make many of us shudder. The fear of those painful stings has, however, caused a great distrust and dislike for these creatures, more than they actually warrant. A lot of people are getting into entomology and apiculture as a passion. Have … Read more
Summer months are the time for picnics and backyard barbeques. Alas, life is not all that easy for bees. They’re busy preparing for the long night. So, what exactly happens to the pollinators when the weather grows cold? How do they survive? And how can we help make their lives a bit easier? We’ll be … Read more
In the next 10 minutes, you’ll have answers to the following: What are robber bees? Why do bees rob honey? When does hive robbing happen? How can you tell when a hive is being robbed? How long does hive robbing last? How can you prevent hive robbing? What are the different ways in which you … Read more
Bees make honey. But do all bees make honey? What about the bumblebee that wanders around your terrace garden? Do bumble bees make honey? Well, honey bees are not the only kind there are. The Apidae (bee) family has about 5700 species. Bumblebees and honey bees belong to the same family of insects. There are … Read more
I was chatting with a friend a couple of days ago about carpenter bees, and through the course of conversation, she said, “Those wretched things ate through my porch supports.” After that, I proceeded to ask her what she thought carpenter bees ate, to which she replied, “Well, the wood, of course! *laughs* Why don’t … Read more
Do bees see you as you see them? How many eyes do they have? No, they don’t. They sense us, and they see us if we hold a bulb in our hands! Bees have 5 eyes. 3 on top of their head and 2 on either side of their head. Why do bees have 5 … Read more
You and I talk and communicate through words. That is our language, and we manage to convey information to one another through the use of sound and hearing. Bees, on the other hand, communicate through the sense of smell. The queen bee releases pheromones into the air, which spread very rapidly over a significant area, … Read more
Have you seen a beehive up close? If you have, you might have found it fascinating. Because it is! Bees divide themselves into hierarchical groups to get work done for their homes. Before I get into bee symbolism, let’s talk about how there are three elements in every bee home/society/hive: workers, who look after the … Read more
Bees aren’t just the world’s most efficient pollinators. They also have a strong claim to the title of the world’s best architects and engineers. The supporting evidence isn’t hard to find. You only need to look at the honeycomb shape — rows upon rows of hexagonal cells separated by wax walls — a stunning application … Read more
When I say the word “wings,” I guarantee that everyone here thinks it’s a set of two. After all, birds have two wings, so it would be natural to assume that bees do so too. In reality, though, several insects have two pairs of wings, and bees are no different. In this article, we’ll be … Read more