Honey bees are wonderful little insects that have proved their usefulness for human beings for many centuries now.
They provide us with honey which has great nutritional and economic significance.
Honey bees are gentle in nature and usually won't harm anyone until they perceive a danger for their hive.
They are about 3/4 inch long and each bee hive may have up to 80000 bees most of which would be the workers.
Honeybees build a hive which is their home and it is ruled by a Queen bee which is the largest bee in the hive.
These small insects have great significance in our lives and in this article we will discuss some amazing facts about Honeybees.
1) The scientific name of Honey bee is Apis mellifera and they have great significance for the environment as they play an important role in pollination.
2) Honeybees are the only creatures that produce a substance consumed by human beings, honey. Honey is a complete food as it contains vitamins, minerals, enzymes and essential nutrients.
It has numerous health benefits and helps with improved memory and better brain functioning. It takes 8 honey bees working full time for their lifetime to make one teaspoon of honey.
3) The buzz produced by Honey bees is a result of stroking of their wings which can beat at a pace of approximately 200 beats each second.
This wonderful creature can fly for almost six miles at a stretch at a speed of 15 miles/hour.
4) A bee hive may have up to 80,000 Honey bees most of which are worker bees. The worker bees are female and have a lifespan of about 6 weeks in which they do all the work for hive.
5) Queen bee is the largest bee in the hive and rules it. It can have a lifespan of almost 5 years and is the only bee to lay eggs.
6) Honey can be collected during the spring-summer-fall months and during the colder months Honey bees survive by eating the honey they have stored in the hive.
7) Honey bees help with pollination of various fruits and vegetables and this natural pollinators make a great contribution towards the existence and sustainability of the environment.
8) The queen can lay up to 1500 eggs each day and almost a million eggs in her whole lifetime. Worker bees take care of food and grooming for the queen because she hardly has free time from laying eggs in all her life.
9) The male honeybees are called 'Drones' and are slightly larger compared to the worker bees. Their only job is to mate with the Queen bee and they die immediately after the mating process is completed.
10) Honeybees maintain a steady temperature of approximately 93º F in the hive all year. During winter months when the temperature starts to fall the bees form a cluster all around the hive to keep themselves and the hive warm.
The honeybee is a useful insect and plays a great role in our existence by helping with the pollination process as well producing healthy and nutritious honey.
It is important we conserve them and provide them with their natural habitat so that they can continue their good work for the environment.
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