10 Things To Like About Bees
Bees are responsible for pollination of approx. 1/3rd of the food we eat, and 90% of fruit trees are pollinated by bees. There’s nothing wrong with rice, corn, and other plants not pollinated by bees, but we would lose a lot of our diverse and rich variety of food without bees
A ½ kg jar of honey is the result of visits to approx. 2,000,000 flowers, and is the life’s work of more than 1,000 bees. Each worker (female) bee produces approx. 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in her life. Such hard work for a lovely and tasty product.
They invented air-conditioning long before humans. The brood / nest area of the hive needs to stay a steady 33-34C for the young bees to develop properly. This means in Winter the nurse bees warm the area by beating their wing muscles (they can disconnect their wings from the muscles) and on hot Summer days they line up across half the hive entrance, fanning their wings and drawing hot air out of the hive. Other bees inside help to push the hot air down to the entrance. Cooler air is drawn in through the other side of the entrance, thereby creating airflow within the hive, and air-conditioning.
The hive is a factory, with Inwards Goods (foragers bringing back nectar and pollen), Assembly / Manufacturing (converting nectar to honey), and Outwards Goods (the new bees who will grow up to be foragers). The different areas of the factory communicate with each other so they respond to changes in season, sudden flowering of a good source of food, and so on by shifting labour to the team which need it.
Bees will avoid stinging if they can, and will try and warn an intruder away from the hive rather than sting.
Bees can make decisions collaboratively as a group. When a hive swarms in Spring or early-Summer they collect in a tree and send out scout bees to search for a new home. The swarm decides as a group which of the possible new locations is the best based on the enthusiasm shown by the scout for her particular “find”.
The female bees (the “workers”) are the main labour force in the hive, with the males (the “drones”) there to mate with a new queen. In Autumn, when food sources reduce, the hive kicks the drones out of the hive as they prepare for Winter.
The hive can lose up to 1,000 bees per day, as they die of exhaustion and hard work, their wings tattered with holes. The queen is up to the task though, as she lays her own body weight in eggs every day to keep the hive going. Nurse bees attend her constantly, feeding and grooming her, and carrying her scent through the hive to reassure all the bees that the hive is “queenright”.
The hive is dark inside, but work carries on 24/7. Only the older and more senior forager bees get to sleep at night, while the younger nurse and house bees look after the brood and make honey.
The hive is very clean and hygienic. Bees will fly away from the hive to defecate (possibly on your car or washing) and sick bees are ejected from the hive so infection is minimised. Resin from plants is mixed with enzymes from the bees to make propolis, which is antibiotic. Honey itself can last for many years, and has many health benefits, both for them and ourselves.
Ready to Learn More?
Bees are remarkable creatures, hardworking, collaborative, and essential to our environment and food supply. If you’ve enjoyed learning about the hidden world of the hive, why not take the next step?
Join the Auckland Beekeepers Club to deepen your knowledge, meet others who share your interest, and gain hands-on experience with real hives. Whether you're just curious or already keeping bees, there's a place for you in our community.
Become a member today and help support bee education, conservation, and the future of beekeeping in Auckland.