Bee facts

Honeybees have a remarkable way of communicating the location of food sources to their hive mates. Through a complex dance known as the "waggle dance," they convey information about the distance, direction, and quality of a food source. This intricate dance language is a unique form of communication in the animal kingdom.

Honeybees are excellent at regulating the temperature within their hive. They maintain a constant hive temperature of around 34-35 degrees Celsius by fanning their wings to cool the hive or clustering together to generate heat during colder weather.

When honeybees swarm, they often form a dense, buzzing cloud that moves through the air in synchronized flight. This mesmerizing phenomenon occurs as a colony divides to create a new hive, with thousands of bees working together in harmony.

In the absence of a queen bee or when the current queen's fertility wanes, worker bees can develop a new queen by selecting a young larva and feeding it a special diet of royal jelly. This remarkable transformation can ensure the hive's continuity and reproductive success.

Honeybees are incredibly efficient flyers, beating their wings at a remarkable rate of about 200 times per second. This rapid wing movement allows them to hover, make precise landings, and maintain a steady flight speed and can reach 15-20 mph!

When honeybees forage for nectar and pollen, they often exhibit a behavior known as "flower constancy." This means that they tend to visit the same type of flower on a foraging trip, even if other flower species are nearby. This behavior can enhance pollination efficiency for those specific plants.