Bees! What’s the Buzz?

Bee Facts There are 20,000 plus known species of bees. Honey bee’s fly at 15 miles per hour Honey bee’s wings flap 11,400 beats each minute – thus the buzzing sound they make. Bees communicate by dancing and producing pheromones (scents).

More Bee Facts Bees are designed for feeding on nectar and pollen. Nectar for energy Pollen for protein and other nutrients Most pollen is used for the larvae.

Colony Life A honey bee colony life is perennial – which means it lasts for maybe two years at most. There are three types of bees: Queen Drone Worker There may be 10’s of thousands of individuals in a single colony

3 types of bees: Worker Female Have glands that produce wax and they shape the wax into the honeycomb shape of the bee hive Travels outside the hive to collect pollen and nectar.

Drone Male No stinger Role in the hive: mate with the queen. If this bee has not mated with the queen by winter, it is kicked out of the hive.

Queen Largest in the hive Mates with drones Produces royal jelly – which is fed to larvae and the queen herself Lays 1,500 to 2,400 eggs per day Queens can live up to 6 years, but generally live in a hive for 2 years Produces a pheromone “queen substance” that holds the colony together and promotes the workers to maintain the hive.

Bee movie clips How Bees Produce Honey Silence of the Bees

Why is a bee important? Pollination It is estimated that over 1/3 of the human food supply is dependent on bees and pollination Cabbage Grapes Bell peppers Squash Watermelon Lemon Cucumber Lime Apples Mango Tomato Apricot

More on why is a bee important? Pollination happens when the bees travel to different plants and spread pollen that has collected on the abdomens and legs of the bees.

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Local HoneyBees

Honey in Mongolia In the book Mongolia: the Bradt Travel Guide (2008) the following information about bees was found: Around 1,500 swarms of bees are registered in Mongolia In 1959 only 20 swarms were registered Bee keeping has been developed in several different amigas including Selenge, Darkhan, and elsewhere. Övörkhangi Amiag produces up to 30 tons of honey each year