Over 270 species of bee have been recorded in Great Britain, of which more than 200 species are solitary and need individual nests. Honeybees and bumblebees live socially, led by a queen and serviced by male drones and female worker bees. Bees are not well understood even though they have been producing honey for at least 150 million years. 80% of pollination of fruit, vegetable and seed crops are accomplished by honeybees.
Honeybees have four wings and their wing stroke is 11,400 times per minute (this makes the buzz noise). On average they fly at a rate of 12 miles per hour. They have 5 eyes and can see in colour but are more sensitive to blue and ultraviolet light; they cannot see red. Also, bees' eyes are sensitive to polarized light, which penetrates through even thick cloud, so bees can ‘see’ the sun in poor weather. Bees use the position of the sun to navigate and there is evidence of their sensitivity to the earth’s magnetic field. Honeybees communicate with each other by ‘dancing’. Honeybees have particular smells which are like identification badges which they can show at the hive entrance to the guard bees. A queen bee lays 1,000-1,500 eggs per day (which is often twice their body weight). The baby honeybees are taught how to make honey by more experienced bees, they aren’t born knowing. Some worker bees are nurse bees, their job is to feed the larvae.
In cold months, honeybees take short ‘cleansing’ flights only. They do not die over winter, they feed on the honey collected in warmer months. The come together in the hive to keep the queen and themselves warm. It takes just under 16kg of honey for the bees to the survive the winter.
In summer months, a healthy hive will house approx. 50,000 bees. They store their honey in wax honeycomb. Only the female workers and the queen can sting. In order to produce 0.5kg of honey, 2 million flowers must be visited and 55,000 miles will be covered in order to do this. The honeybee will visit 50 to 100 flowers in one collection flight before returning to the hive. The average worker bee will produce a 12th of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime. Between 27kg-45kg of honey will be made by one bee colony in one year.
Sadly, since 1900, the UK has lost 13 species of bee, and a further 35 are considered under threat of extinction. Land use, habitat loss, disease, pesticides, farming practices, pollution, invasive non-native plant and animal species, and climate change could all be reasons for their decline.
Planting flowers rich in nectar will really help bees find the food they need. Choosing local, British honey will lend your support to our honeybees and their beekeepers. Encouraging your friends and neighbours to do the same will help create bee-friendly communities. Bees are crucial in the countryside but they’re essential in the city too. A wild window box in the middle of the urban jungle has great value.
Free wild flower seeds (all you need is two stamps and two envelopes) - https://www.justbeedrinks.co.uk/seeds/
Build a bee hotel - https://friendsoftheearth.uk/bees/make-a-bee-house
Donate to Friends of the Earth and get your ‘Bee Saver Kit’ - https://friendsoftheearth.uk/bees/donate-save-britains-bees-get-your-bee-saver-kit-today
Golden Blossom Honey
Friends of the Earth
The British Bee Keepers Association