Honey bees make an important contribution to the sustainability of the countryside, contributing both to agriculture and horticulture and to biodiversity. They also produce honey and other hive products.

The European honey bee (Apis mellifera) plays a dominant role, being the major managed pollinator available for field and outdoor fruit crops, while species of bumble bee (Bombus) are commercially reared for the managed pollination of a number of protected crops, including tomatoes. The economic value of crops grown commercially in the UK that benefit from bee pollination is estimated at around £120m-£200m p.a.. By contrast, the value of honey production in the UK fluctuates between £10-£30m p.a.. Honey bees also play an increasingly important pollination role in respect of many wild species of flora, given the decline in the wild bee population. The economic value of bees to wild plant pollination is thought to be substantial but impossible to evaluate because the pollination requirements of most species of wild plants in the UK are unknown.

(above courtesy of DEFRA).

Honey Bees and their attributes are widely documented - there are 3 key players in a colony. The Queen and the Workers are both female whilst the Drone is male.

 

Some facts about the Honey Bee:

  1. At the height of summer strength, a colony may have 60,000 member bees in a single hive.
  2. In the summer the worker might live 6 weeks, in the winter 6 months.
  3. When "scout bees" are searching for food, they will follow a meandering path and can return  in a straight line (bee-line) with their navigating skill.
  4. A queen bee will normally only leave the hive once in her life to mate - hence the mating flight. She will mate with about a dozen drones in flight. Return to the hive an d colony to lay up to 1,000 eggs for the 2-5 years.
  5. A drone (the male bee) has to beg food from worker bees (females) as he can not self feed.
  6. The rule of 3s: Never move the hive more than 3 feet otherwise more than 3 miles. Leave a collected swarm for 3 deays before you feed. Eggs become grubs after 3 days.
  7. Drones create daughters but not sone. The Queen lays unfertilised eggs for Drone production.
  8. To make 1lb of honey, the bees will fly about 24,000 miles - arond the world!
  9. 10lbs of honey make 1 of bees wax.
  10. The egg of a future queen bee is no different from the egg of a worker bee.  It is the food (royal jelly) she is fed whilst still a larva, which determines that she will become a queen.
  11. Honey properly stored keeps for centuries.
  12. Honey has culinary, beverage and medical uses.

The Honey Bee and the Bumble Bee are not related.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bees make an important contribution to the sustainability of the countryside, contributing both to agriculture and horticulture and to biodiversity. They also produce honey and other hive products.

 

 

 

Some facts about the Honey Bee:

  • At the height of summer strength, a colony may have 60,000 member bees in a single hive.
  • In the summer the worker might live 6 weeks, in the winter 6 months.
  • When "scout bees" are searching for food, they will follow a meandering path and can return  in a straight line (bee-line) with their navigating skill.
  • A queen bee will normally only leave the hive once in her life to mate - hence the mating flight. She will mate with about a dozen drones in flight. Return to the hive an d colony to lay up to 1,000 eggs for the 2-5 years.
  • A drone (the male bee) has to beg food from worker bees (females) as he can not self feed.
  • The rule of 3s: Never move the hive more than 3 feet otherwise more than 3 miles. Leave a collected swarm for 3 deays before you feed. Eggs become grubs after 3 days.
  • Drones create daughters but not sone. The Queen lays unfertilised eggs for Drone production.
  • To make 1lb of honey, the bees will fly about 24,000 miles - arond the world!
  • 10lbs of honey make 1 of bees wax.
  • The egg of a future queen bee is no different from the egg of a worker bee.   It is the food (royal jelly) she is fed whilst still a larva, which determines that she will become a queen.
  • Honey properly stored keeps for centuries.
  • Honey has culinary, beverage and medical uses.

The Honey Bee and the Bumble Bee are not related.