All About Bees

Where there are insect-pollinated flowering plants, there are bees. Meaning, bees dwell in each and every corner of the Earth except on the continent of Antarctica. One important fact which I would like to bring into notice is related to the work these insects do for us. In fact, a very important work which is associated with our living on this Earth. Did you know that the development of several species of plants are dependent on cross-pollination performed by bees? According to the reports and studies done by the US Department of Agriculture, these busy workers are responsible for pollinating about 80% of the flowering crops in the country. And this has been estimated to be ⅓ of everything that people include in their diet. Recent studies have shown a drastic reduction in bee population in recent times. The loss has been so major that, some scientists considered it to be the first bee epidemic in the year 2006, in US.

Information About Bees

As a continuance to the above passage, what has been more concerning is the disappearance of the bees. It is a mystery! They tend to leave their colonies only to get lost and never to return. There have been many instances where in, beekeepers have found dead bees in or around their colonies. Also know that the loss of these fliers may have a huge impact on the production of dietary staples such as apples, broccoli, strawberries, nuts, asparagus, blueberries and cucumbers, to name a few. Also, the beef and dairy industries may also have to face critical situations. This is due to the reason that apart from other feeds for the animals, if alfalfa become unavailable, it will affect the cattle population and thus, the industries. You may be amazed to learn the findings of a university. It says that seeds and crops worth about $14 billion are known to be pollinated by honeybees. And so, if these insects disappear, then people may be left with only bread and water for survival.

What I mentioned above about the mysterious disappearance of different types of bees, may be somehow related to our love for cell phones. Some scientists are of the opinion, with their research-based findings, that the radiation given out by mobile phones or any other hi-tech gadgets may have something to do with the shocking wipe-off of the bees from this planet. They are of the opinion that the radiation emitted by mobile phones tend to interfere with the bees' navigation system. So when this happens, these insects suffer disorientation and fail to find their way back home. Left bewildered and homeless, the insects suffer death. In America, there has been a loss of 60% of commercial bee population in the West Coast and 70% in the East.

Quick Bee Facts

• These insects have 7 - 9 recognized families and these consist of about 20,000 different species.
• The queen bee, the drone bee and the worker bee are the members of the bee colony. The workers are all females and they do the cleaning, collect pollen and nectar as food, and, look after the offspring. Drones are males and their job is to mate with the queen, whose job is to only lay eggs.
• If you have ever been stung by a bee then it must have been a female. A female bee is the only one who can lay a sting. The venom is stored in the sac which is attached to its stinger.
• The reason only female bees can sting is due to the stinger which is a part of their reproductive design.
• Bees are red-color-blind. I mean these insects are able to view any color except red. Their ability to view other colors and sense of smell helps them to locate the flowers to collect pollen from it.
• Some species of bees, like the honeybees die after they sting a mammal. As mentioned, the stinger is a part of the reproductive design and it is attached to the abdomen. Moreover, the stinger happens to be barbed. So, when bee stings and tries to fly away, it mortally tears away a part of abdomen and dies.
• Contrary to what most people think, not all species of bees are stingers. For instance, meliponinae, although have stingers are known to be sting-less. This is due to their highly reduced stingers which are not good enough for defense.
• Communication between honey bees is done through dancing.
• Do you know where do the distinctive 'buzz' comes from. It's all hard work of the insects to stroke their wings with a speed of 200 beats per second!
• In a single trip to collect nectar and pollen, a bee visits about 50 - 100 flowers.
• During summers, the queen bee can lay up to 2500 eggs per day so as to help the colony to gain the maximum strength. I am sure you may want to know how do bees make honey. Well, it's a complex process where the bee mixes the collected nectar with the enzyme in its mouth and the product is honey!

Apart from the facts mentioned above, also pay heed to the explanation in the first part of the article. These friendly insects happen to be a very essential cog of the machine that's running our planet. So the next time you come across a bee hovering around you or over a flower, have the gentleness to leave it alone and let it be. And yeah, before I buzz off, watch the movie, 'Bee Movie'. You might get some more idea about the importance of these insects on our Earth.