Honey bees have a big impact on our world! As bees gather nectar, they pollinate plants and fertilize a wide variety of vegetation. Bees pollinate 1/3 of all flowering plants! Those plants produce the oxygen we breathe and the food we and other animals eat. Without bees, our ecosystem would suffer and our food system would collapse.
Due to environmental factors, pesticides, and modern landscaping practices, the world’s bee population has been declining. We depend on these creatures to survive, and we need to support them back!
The Honey Bee Hive
Honey bees live in a structure called a hive. The hive offers its colony protection, a space to make and store food, and a place to reproduce.
Honey bee hives have two sections -the food section and the brood section.
The food section of the hive is where honey is produced and stored. Worker bees collect nectar from flowers and bring it back to the hive. The nectar is placed in hexagonal cells (honeycomb) and converted into honey. When the honey in a particular cell is finished, the bees place a cap of wax over that cell. The honey is used as a food source for the whole colony.
The brood section is in the center of the hive and serves as the colony's nursery. The reproduction cycle of a honey bee has 4 phases. The queen lays a single egg in an empty cell. After 3 days, the egg hatches into a larva and is tended to by worker bees. Once the larva is big enough for the next phase, the workers seal the cell with wax. Once its cell is capped, the larva cocoons itself and becomes a pupa. The pupa grows eyes, legs, wings, and more until it is fully developed. Finally, the adult honey bee chews through the cap and emerges from its cell.
5 Easy Ways to Save the Bees
1. Leave the leaves! Great news, you have a valid excuse not to rake next fall (and every fall). Fallen leaves provide a safe habitat for a number of pollinators during the cold months, including several species of bees.
2. Plant native flowers. Bees gather nectar from flowers and take it back to their hive to make honey. Honey is bees' primary food.
3. Buy local. Support your community farmers and beekeepers by purchasing fruits, veggies, and local honey.
4. Avoid using bee-killing insecticides. When you buy your lawn care chemicals, choose ones that don't harm bees. There are lots of both commercially-produced and easy DIY options!
5. Removal > extermination. If you a bee hive forms in or around your home, don't call the exterminator! There are plenty of experts that will move the colony safely elsewhere. If you're in the Charlotte area, you can contact Bee Safe Bee Removal or Mecklenburg County Beekeepers.
Sources:
https://www.honeyflow.com/blogs/beekeeping-basics/how-do-bees-make-honey
https://hbrc.ca/stages-of-bee-growth/
https://savethebees.com/
https://thebeeconservancy.org/10-ways-to-save-the-bees/
https://www.meckbees.org/swarm-help
https://www.beesafebeeremoval.com/services/bee-removal/
