Theories on Disappearing Bee

Why are the bees disappearing? Nobody seems to know. This post analyzes some theories that are being debated about the reason behind these mysterious disappearances.

It was earlier this year, during spring that news agencies first began reporting a worrisome phenomenon about beekeepers going to their hives and discovering that their bees had vanished. Sometimes, all that remained were the queen bee and a few hatchlings. The puzzling thing was that the beekeepers did not find any evidence of the usual predators, such as wasps and animals that like honey. Neither did they find any trace of large numbers of dead bees nor any sign of bee diseases such as foulbrood or chalkbrood, which the developing larvae usually fall prey to, nor was there any evidence of any of the mite species that attack fully grown or developing bees. Hence, on the basis of this evidence, it was surmised that the bees couldn't have died of any sickness or from a predator's attack. Plus, many of the beekeepers also reported that other bees, animals, and moths stayed away from the newly abandoned nests, at least for the initial few days. From experience, this phenomenon has been known to occur when bees have died of chemical contamination or disease.

Why Should Disappearing Bees Cause Concern?

The honeybee, which is the species of bees that is disappearing, is the insect that is a vital component of the food chain. The reason being, that this species is the main pollinator of hundreds of types of food crops and plants. Hence, it was no surprise that many found these news reports quite alarming. In fact, some articles even suggested that this could even result in widespread starvation. Some of them also quoted Albert Einstein, who is supposed to have said that if the world's bees were to perish, humanity would too within four years, due to the absence of pollinators. Although it is highly probable that the so-called 'Einstein bee theory' was never actually proposed by the great scientist, Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD, which is the phrase that has been coined for the disappearance of bees, is a phenomenon that is real. According to scientists, it does have the potential of impacting honey and food production dramatically. Hence, there are a number of theories being bandied about in an effort to fathom the reason for disappearing bees. Given below are some of the disappearing bee theories that are being debated. 

Could Stress and Diet be the reason?

In recent years, honeybees have been undergoing great stress as an increasing number of beekeepers have taken recourse to transporting them all over the country to promote pollination. These bees may be suffering from the effects of an unhealthy diet that includes concoctions that are similar to power bars and energy drinks, basically made up of artificial supplements. In a number of states, the spread of sprawling suburbs has severely impinged on the natural foraging areas of the bees. 

Some say Radiation from Mobile Phones is the Culprit

Some researchers are of the opinion that bee populations may be adversely affected by the rise in electromagnetic radiation in the atmosphere due to the increasing numbers of wireless communication towers and mobile phones. The hypothesis is that the radiation from these devices may interfere with the bees' system of navigation, thus hindering their ability to find their way back to their nests. Some studies found that when mobile phones were placed near their hives, bees would not come back there. Further studies are underway at present to find out to what extent bees and other insects are affected by this kind of radiation.

Could it be due to Pesticides and Genetically Modified Food?

Many think that the growing use of chemical herbicides and pesticides, which are ingested by bees when they make their daily pollination forays, are to blame greatly. Beehives that are kept for commercial purposes are also fumigated regularly with chemicals to get rid of harmful mites. Genetically modified crops, which could be producing pollen with poor nutritional value, is another suspect thought to be responsible. 

Perhaps a combination of both, pollen from genetically modified crops and chemicals, may have tipped the balance leading to the collapse of bee population. This theory is lent credence by the fact that organically raised bees, which are not subjected to genetically modified crops and chemicals, are not undergoing the Colony Collapse Disorder that the other bees are experiencing.

Or is Global Warming the Reason?

Scientists are also wondering whether global warming could be accelerating the growth rate of pathogens like fungi, viruses, and mites, which are known to adversely affect bee colonies. The unusual fluctuations in weather patterns, which are also thought to be caused by global warming, could also be affecting bee populations, which are used to more consistent patterns of weather.

Although there are a number of disappearing bee theories like these, scientists are still searching for the cause. Even though there was no consensus amongst leading bee biologists when they gathered to discuss the mystery recently, most were of the opinion that it could be a combination of factors that could be the reason.

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Things to Know About Honey Bees

Honey bees belong to the family of bees representing a very small fraction of the bee diversity. These bees are also considered to be the only living members that belong to the Apini tribe representing the Apis genus. Although other types of bees also produce and store honey, it is only the members that belong to the genus Apis that are considered to be true honey bees.

It is believed that honey bees originated in the southern parts of Asia. The close relatives of the honey bees are the bumble bees and the sting-less bees. Honey bees consist of a number of varieties, some which can be domesticated, while others are so fierce, their sting can even kill a human.

Types of Honey Bees
The three varieties of the honey bee are:
Dwarf Honey Bee: These are very small honey bees that are found in the southern parts of Asia. The stings of these bees cannot penetrate the human skin. Their nests are very small and exposed that can be found in trees and shrubs.
Giant Honey Bee: These bees are the largest variety of honey bees and are very fierce in nature who can sting a human being to death when provoked. They build exposed nests on high limbs of trees, cliffs and sometimes in buildings too.
Cave Nesting Honey Bee: These are very small bees, and some varieties are domesticated for honey, while others are very aggressive, and also termed as the 'killer bee'.
Life Cycle
Like all eusocial bees, the colony of honey bees consists of one breeding female, also known as the 'queen', a few thousand male bees, known as the 'drones', and a large population of sterile female workers.

A single egg is laid by the queen in a cell made of wax which is known as the honeycomb made by the workers. The workers also produce a 'royal jelly', which is initially fed to the larvae. After the larvae grow a little, they are fed honey and pollen. However, the larvae that is to grow into the queen bee is fed only the royal jelly. The larvae undergo several stages of molting, before spinning a cocoon within their cell and pupating.

The main task of the young workers is to clean the hive and feed the larvae. As they grow a little older, they start building the comb cells. Then they progress to other colony tasks like receiving and storing the nectar and pollen from foragers. Once the workers have mastered this task as well and have grown a little older, they set out in search of nectar and pollen, and typically spend the rest of their lives as foragers.

The workers cooperate among themselves to find food and use a dance pattern known as the bee dance or waggle dance to communicate. The honey bees also perform a tremble dance to engage receiver bees to collect the nectar from the returning foragers.

The queens who are virgins go on 'mating flights' away from their home colony, and mate with a multiple number of drones before returning. The male drones die during the mating process.

Unlike most bees, where the colonies are established by solitary queens, honey bee colonies consist of a number of 'swarms', each swarm consisting of a mated queen and a large contingent of workers. The entire group moves to a nest site that has been found by the workers beforehand. Once they arrive at the new site, they do not waste any time, and immediately start constructing a new wax comb, and begin the process of raising a new worker brood.

Defense Mechanism
The honey bees sting as a form of defense. When a bee is alarmed, it releases a 'pheromone' which stimulates an attack response in the other bees. The sting and the associated sac of venom is so modified that it can pull free from the body of the bees once it has been lodged into the body of the attacker. The sting apparatus has its own set of musculature and ganglion which ensures that the sac is delivering venom into the attacker's body after it has been detached from the bee's body.

Unless you can recognize the different types of bees, it is always advisable to stay away from all bees and their hives.

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Tips to Get Rid of Bees

Bees play a major role in the ecosystem. Some species of bees are less welcome than the bumblebees. This article provides information on how to get rid of them.



Biologists believe that bees are a part of the third largest insect category. They are amazing creatures that help in pollination. It has been observed that bees communicate by dancing. They can also be a nuisance when they build a nest near your house because a bee sting can be very painful. There are many species of bees which are less welcome than the normal honey bee. They include the killer bees, European honey bees, and so on.



Bees are defensive about their nests and you may find over 40,000 bees in a single nest. Hence, you need to be careful while getting rid of them. A bee nest is made from a 'honeycomb' of wax and is found hanging from the branch of a tree, a cavity in a wall, attics, roofs, and basements. If you do not know how to get rid of a bee nest, it is best left undisturbed till you get the aid of a professional.



Bee Removal Methods



Remember, bees are diurnal insects. The first and foremost thing that you need to do is find the nest. You can find their nest either early in the morning when the sun starts to rise, or at the beginning of dusk. These are the times when you would find them surrounding a beehive as they make their way out or in.



Getting rid of bees means having to kill them. Once you have found the location of their nest, get a spray of aerosol such as 'Raid'. It is always better to kill them at night because you can destroy the entire lot in one go.



Wearing an old sweatsuit with elastic bands, a pair of thick socks, and using a pair of good gloves is a good idea. A face mask is also recommended.



Spray the aerosol lavishly over the nest. To ensure that all the bees have been killed, you can spray it once more in the morning. However, if you happen to see a couple of bees buzzing around, then it would be wise to spray the aerosol once more.



Once you are certain that they are all dead, you have to remove the nest. If it is hanging from a tree or from a roof, knock it down and burn it. However, if the nest is on your siding, it is wise to get a professional to remove it. The chemicals that you could use to get rid of bees are Baygon, MicroCare, or borax dust.



The 'green' way to get rid of honey bees is by contacting a local beekeeper or a professional from a beekeeping association. The professionals have a knack of removing the colonies of honey bees to give them an alternative home, where they can carry on more beneficial work.



Another alternative way is to burn wood under the beehive at night to shoo away the bees without killing them. However, ensure that you close all the doors and windows before attempting to use this method.



If you have gotten rid of the bees from the hollow trunk of a tree, you have to fill the hole in the tree using waste paper and expandable foam. The reason is that the scent of the honeycomb is so strong, it may attract new bees to this location and the problem will recur.

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Honey Bee Real Facts

Did you know that honey bees identify their colonies by a unique odor. Join us as we embark on a journey into the fascinating world of honey bees and find more interesting facts about them.

Honey bees are insects which are primarily distinguished by their capacity to produce and store honey in their colonial nests, known as beehives. An average honey bee colony can consist of around 20,000 - 60,000 bees and the queen bee.

Interesting Facts about Honey Bees
The honey bee, which has been around for about 30 million years, is the only insect which produces food that is consumed by humans.
The worker honey bees, all of which are females, have an average lifespan of 6 - 8 weeks. All the tedious work in a bee colony is done by these female bees.
The worker honey bee's brain, which is only about a cubic mm, has the densest neuropile tissue among the animal species.
The male honey bees, known as drones, do not have a sting. They don't indulge in any work in the bee colony, except mating.
The lifespan of a queen bee is around 2 - 3 years, a period which is only spent in mating and laying eggs. She can lay up to 2500 eggs a day.
The queen bee is the only sexually developed female in a bee colony, a unique characteristic which can be attributed to a special diet of royal jelly.
The royal jelly is a milky substance made from digested pollen and honey, mixed with a chemical which is secreted from a gland in the nursing bee's head.
Honey bees produce wax from the glands located at the underside of their abdomen. This beeswax is used by the bees to build a honey comb. Humans use it to prepare drugs, furniture polish, candles, etc.
In order to produce 1 lb of wax, honey bees have to consume around 17 - 20 lbs of honey.
Only worker bees possess stings, which they use when they are threatened. A honey bee can use its sting only once, as it dies after it stings. Around 1100 honey bee stings are needed for a bee attack to be fatal for humans.
The queen bee also has a sting, but she never leaves the hive, not even to help defend it from intruders.
Irrespective of what the temperature is outside, honey bees maintain the temperature of the beehive between 92 and 93 °F.
A honey bee strokes its wings at a tremendous speed of 11,400 times per minute. This helps to produce the unique bee buzz we get to hear when it flies.
A honey bee can fly at the speed of 15 mph. It is also known to venture as far as 6 miles to collect nectar from flowers.
A single colony of honey bees collects approximately 66 lb of pollen every year. However, an average honey bee only gathers 0.0288 ounces of honey in its lifetime.
While collecting nectar, a honey bee visits approximately 50 - 100 flowers every day. It take approximately 556 worker bees to visit around 2 million flowers to gather one lb of honey.
One of the purest and most nutritious natural food, pollen contains proteins, sugars, carbohydrates, enzymes, minerals, and vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, CH, and R.
The difference in the flavor and color of honey depends on the source of nectar.
Microbes cannot sustain in honey and hence, it is used as medicine, especially for dressing wounds. The royal jelly is also used by humans as dietary supplement and fertility booster.
Though herbivores, some species of honey bees are known to cannibalize their own brood when strained.
Minute amount of venom is present in a honey bee sting. It most often triggers sharp pain, but can also prove to be allergic to some humans. Bee venom therapy is quite often used to cure problems like arthritis and neuralgia.
One of the most productive insect species, honey bees have provided humans with useful amenities such as honey and wax since ages. Owing to this, honey bee farming has become a flourishing business around the world. While these were a few facts that we have been able to study so far, there must be many more which we are yet come across.

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How Bees Make Honey

We have been enjoying honey since childhood, but have we ever thought about how it is created? In this article, we shall throw more light on the answer to that very question...



Honey is a sweet substance manufactured by honeybees from the nectar of flowers. Nectar is a substance generated by flowers; it is made up of complex sugars and about 80% of water. The collection of nectar is very important as it further leads to the process of pollination necessary for the propagation of flowering plants. Honey gains its sweetness from the monosaccharides, fructose and glucose. It is almost as sweet as sugar in the granulated form.



How Is It Created?

The first step in in the process is the gathering of nectar. Bees live in a hive, which they leave when they go in search of nectar. The field bees are also known as the working bees. The field bee has a oral organ that resembles a tube, and is called a proboscis. Nectar is sucked by the bee through this proboscis, which then goes into their honey stomach.

Now, once nectar is gathered, these bees return to their hives, where the young worker bees suck the nectar through their proboscis from the honey stomach of the field bees.

It is now time for the young worker bees, also called house bees, to turn the nectar into honey. This is done by the house bees by working upon the nectar inside their mouths by utilizing some enzymes that turn the nectar into raw honey. This is done in about 20 minutes

The raw honey, thus prepared, is kept in the cells in the beehive. Honey, at this stage, is rich in water.

Next comes the step where the honey is ripened. This is done by leaving the cells of the beehive open, and by the creation of a strong draft with the aid of the bees' wings. This draft evaporates most of the water in the honey, ripening it.

Bees consider the honey as ripened when the water content is brought down significantly. This ripened honey is protected or secured with the help of wax, produced in small sheets under the abdomen of the bee. Once the securing process is done, the honey is ready for use within the colony, or, for that matter, even for human beings.

When do bees start making honey?



Bees make honey as their contingency food to cope with the food scarcity they might have to face in the cold season. Therefore, bees start making honey at the end of the warm season. The period carries on into autumn.



Honey is considered to be a cure for some diseases, and therefore should be preserved carefully. The nutritional value of honey remains intact if stored in a cool and dry place. Beekeeping is a profitable and interesting business in many parts of the world.

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Honey Bees Habitats Facts

Honey bees possess the remarkable feature of being able to live naturally as well as be domesticated. They are found in temperate and well as tropical habitats.



Honey bees represent only a subset of about 20,000 known bee species. They are distinguished by their ability to produce and store honey (liquefied sugar). Besides honey production, bees are also known for the secretion of wax to construct perennial, colonial nests (bee hives). Just like the bee species, honey bees also dwell together in colonies made of wax. Their habitation is called a hive, which may be natural (like a hollow tree) or man-made.



Information on Their Habitat



Original Habitat

The original habitat varies across the globe. One school of thought is that honey bees originated from tropical climates and densely forested regions. They believe that honey bees originated from Central Africa, and then spread to different regions such as Eastern India, Northern Europe, China, and America. The second school of thought holds that honey bees are natives of Southeast Asia and Europe.



Natural Habitat

However, the fact that these bees can be domesticated for manufacture of honey, conduced their spread across the globe in different habitats. They thrive wonderfully in natural as well as domesticated environment. However, these bees prefer living in woodlands, meadows, orchards, gardens, and other areas furnished with an abundance of flower-bearing plants. In the natural environment, honey bees are observed to build nests inside tree cavities and edges of various objects, so as to camouflage themselves from their predators.



Honey bees are mostly visible during summer and late spring. This is because during that time the queen bee forsakes the old nest, with a train of worker bees and commences to build a new honey bees nest. Since the queen and the workers take approximately 24 hours to locate a new place for the nest, one can find them swarming together in the air during the summer. Honey bees are mostly harmless, however, certain species are quite aggressive and attack, unprovoked.



Temperature Control in the Hive

Honey bees need to maintain a constant temperature of 90 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit inside their nest, irrespective of the surrounding environmental temperature. These bees consume honey, which enables them to use their metabolic heat, to furnish the colony inside the hive with warmth during the winter weeks. On the contrary, in the summer months, these bees use a liquid from the nectar stored, to act as an evaporating coolant. These processes enable the bees to maintain constant temperatures inside the hive, irrespective of seasonal changes.



Honey bees from the temperate regions such as the European ones need to maintain a specific temperature inside the nest in order to survive during the winters. In order to maintain the temperature, they store larger amounts of honey as compared to other species. The workers in these temperate regions construct large, spacious nests featuring well-insulated interiors. Moreover, the workers swarm in early spring, so as to collect adequate amounts of honey for the winter. On the other hand, the honey bees dwelling in tropical habitats, for example, the African honey bees, do not encounter series of cold weather weeks. This is why they need not build large, well insulated hives or store large amount of honey. The maintenance of constant temperature inside the hive in tropical habitats is not as tedious as in the temperate type. The swarming of these bees relies on the abundance of food sources rather than on the seasonal changes.



Domestication of honey bees for honey and beeswax, is responsible for the dispersion of these insects to the different regions of the world. This domestication of honey bees is not a new phenomenon, and has been carried out for thousands of years. Beekeeping is something that has gained a lot of importance and is not only a full-time vocation, but has even developed as a popular hobby practiced by millions across the globe. So, we can say that the honey bees do not have a particular habitat, but thrive in a reasonable range of habitats; both natural and man-made, provided care is taken to foster their honey-making capacity.

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Fun Things About Bees

Did you know that bees can view all the colors except red? Find out some more interesting facts about these little creatures from the following article.



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. 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.



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, 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' 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 a 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 from where does the distinctive 'buzz' come from? It's a result of all the hard work of the bees, who 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.

Honey making is a complex process where the bee mixes the collected nectar with an enzyme in its mouth and produces honey as a result.

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. The disappearance of bees is a mystery. They tend to leave their colonies only to get lost and never to return. There have been many instances wherein beekeepers have found dead bees in or around their colonies. 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 becomes unavailable, it will affect the cattle population and thus, the industries.



The mysterious disappearance of different types of bees may be somehow related to 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 tends 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. The findings of a university say that seeds and crops worth about $14 billion are known to be pollinated by honeybees. And so, if these insects disappear, people may be left with only bread and water for survival.

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Black Bees Fun Facts

The commonly-encountered black bees include European dark bees, bumblebees, carpenter bees, ground bees, and western honey bees among others. While some of these bees are entirely black in color, others have black and yellow-striped bodies.

Bees are some of the most commonly seen flying insects. As per entomology, they are closely-related to other social insects, like ants and wasps. Bees are not only important as sources of honey and beeswax, but they play a crucial role in the overall functioning of the ecosystem. Bees, along with certain types of flying insects, are primary pollinating agents for nearly all types of flowers. In fact, they account for about 80 percent of insect pollination.

As of date, about 12,000-20,000 species of bees are identified scientifically under 7-9 families. Of the identified species, approximately 600 types of bees are social in behavior and live in colonies. In a single beehive, there may be 40-45,000 bees.

Types of Black Bees

Truly speaking, nearly all types of bees are dark in color. Most of them are gray, brown, or black, with or without stripes in the abdomen portion. However, you will also find bees of yellow, metallic-green, blue, or red colors.

European Dark Bees
Also known as German black bees, the European dark bees are domesticated on a wide scale. The characteristic features of these bees are a compact body, less hair on the abdomen, and thick hair growth in the thorax areas. The aggressive subspecies of these bees can be identified from the yellowish bands present on the sides of the abdomen.

Bumblebees
A classic example of large black bees with yellow stripes is the bumble bee, a common plant pollinator distributed widely. If you notice black bees in the ground, most probably they are bumblebees. Though bumblebees are beneficial for agriculturists, they are aggressive and can sting repeatedly, especially when irritated.

Carpenter Bees
These are not purely-black, but carpenter bees are bluish-black in color. The name is coined with reference to the specific attribute that these bees bore wood for making their nests. Classified as the solitary types, female carpenter bees are fertile and they build their own nests. These bees sting, but they do not pose a threat to any passerby.

Ground Bees
Basically, ground bees are related to the yellow jackets and they resemble each other in their color pattern. However, these bees are much smaller in size and more aggressive than the yellow jackets. Having a body adorned with bright-yellow and black stripes, these bees build their nest underground, about 2 inches to 2 feet below the surface.

Western Honey Bees
Another type of black bees are the western honey bees, which store honey in the combs. They are small in size (about 1.3 cm in length), of which some have yellow and brown bands in the abdominal portion. Colonies of western honey bees are reared by beekeepers all across the globe for their beneficial products.

The above mentioned black bees vary in color (purely-black, black, and yellow-striped bees), size (small and large), feeding habits (feed on specific flower or many flowers) and overall behavior (social, semisocial, or solitary). While handling any type of black bees in-house or in the garden, make sure you are equipped with protective gear, as bee stings are quite painful. Some of them even have the ability to sting many times, thus adding to skin irritation symptoms.

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Things to Know About Bees

Did you know that bees can view all the colors except red? Find out some more interesting facts about these little creatures from the following article.

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. 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.

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, 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' 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 a 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 from where does the distinctive 'buzz' come from? It's a result of all the hard work of the bees, who 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.
Honey making is a complex process where the bee mixes the collected nectar with an enzyme in its mouth and produces honey as a result.
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. The disappearance of bees is a mystery. They tend to leave their colonies only to get lost and never to return. There have been many instances wherein beekeepers have found dead bees in or around their colonies. 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 becomes unavailable, it will affect the cattle population and thus, the industries.

The mysterious disappearance of different types of bees may be somehow related to 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 tends 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. The findings of a university say that seeds and crops worth about $14 billion are known to be pollinated by honeybees. And so, if these insects disappear, people may be left with only bread and water for survival.

Read more »

Best Bee Removal Tips

A beehive in the area near your home can be quite troublesome. This article lists an easy technique to get rid of it without harming yourself.
Bees have become a big problem all over the place. Bees are insects who belong to the ant and wasp family. Apart from Antarctica, bees are found in all the other continents. Although there are a number of people who have a fear of these insects, it is important to know that they have a vital role to play in the ecosystem. They are pollinators. Some species like honey bees also have other roles to play, namely, producing honey, beeswax, etc.



You need not get into damage control mode at the very first sighting of bees. These insects are known to travel long distances in search of food. First, check how many of them can you spot. If they are just a couple of them, then you do not have anything to worry about. However, it is important to keep a watch to check how many bees have made their way in your vicinity, as in some cases they can also be scouts, surveying the neighborhood for a new location to build a hive.



Technique



First, see if there is a particular area where you see a lot of bee activity. When you are doing this, be careful and keep yourself safe from stings. Many times, if these insects do not find an appropriate place on trees, they make use of fissures in the walls or any gap they come across. You have to take special care against honey bees, as once they make a colony, they stick to it permanently.

The first step is to wear layered clothes. All parts of the body should be covered when you are going anywhere close to a beehive. The best way of dressing is to tuck shirts into the pants, and pants into the socks. Cover your feet with shoes, and hands with gloves. If you have a hat, scarf, and face mask handy, wear them all.
The next step is to spray the bees with insecticide. Regular household insecticides will not prove to be beneficial, you will have to get the right insecticide that works for bees. Spray the insecticide at the entrance of the hive as well as on the hive itself. This will ensure that all the insects moving in or out of the hive are killed. This process will eventually exterminate all the bees.
After most of the insects have been killed, smoke the area around the hive to kill any more insects present in the hive. Let the smoke stay for a considerable amount of time. This will ensure that any bee which was out in search of food and has come back to the hive and is killed or driven away as well. If the hive is located near wooden furniture or fixtures then take care not to burn the area around the hive.
After you are sure that all the insects have been killed, walk up to the hive―make sure you are still covered―and remove the hive. Either throw the hive far away or burn it completely. Burning it is the best option.
Now that all bees are gone, the next step is a precautionary measure so that no more insects come to the same area. Remember that these insects have excellent olfactory senses. Hence, take measures to get rid of the scent from the area. This will ensure that no more hives are built in the same area. If there are traces of the hive at the spot, you may want to burn it, or remove it and spray it with insecticide.
If you don't think that you can do the task yourself, then you can seek hire a company that specializes in bee removal. The cost varies from one province to another, you will have to get in touch with the company to know the exact cost. These simple steps can keep you safe from bee stings, but remember that if the hive is far away from your home and is not causing any trouble, you'd better leave it alone, as the bees need to play their part in our ecology as well.

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Fun Facts About Sweat Bees

Have you ever wondered why some bees are attracted to your skin? These are sweat bees and are found all over the world. They are very small in size and are often confused for the common house fly.



Bees are fascinating creatures, they feed on nectar and pollen from flowering plants. Bees all across the world are a great boon to nature, as they help in pollinating the seeds of various plants and induce vegetation. Sweat bees are a type, commonly found in America and have a painless and harmless bee sting. They are flying insects, and a major source of our honey consumption.



What are Sweat Bees

These bees are a species belonging to the vast 'Hymenoptera' family of insects, which happens to be the largest congregation of insects such as wasps, ants, bees and sawflies. These bees are specifically from the family of 'Halictidae', and are found all over the world except in Southeast Asia and Australia. These bees differ in size, and can range anywhere from small to medium-sized bees (4 mm - 8 mm). They come in a variety of colors, usually metallic, black, brown, green, or red. The males have a distinct yellow face, common among many species of bees. These bees are named so, because they are attracted to the human sweat or perspiration. They have extended hairy hind legs, which often make people mistake them for bumblebees. These hairy legs carry, pollen and nectar from flowers to the hive.



Does This Bee Sting or Pinch?

The males bite or pinch, while the females sting, when we attempt to remove them from our skin. The Schmidt Sting Pain Index places the intensity of this bees bite or sting on a low/minor pain of 1.0. The reason for these bees to be attracted to perspiration, is because they collect the pollens and salt from the sweat on our skins and other living beings. Sweat attracted bees come from the Apidae class of bees, which have usually painless stings. Like some types of flying insects such as house fly; this species of bee, comes to drink the salt off the skin, when it gets dry and hot.



Halictidae Bees

Unlike other types of bees, the sweat bees being typical halictids, make their hive underground or inside tree trunks or hollow wood. They make solitary nests, which will hold only one female bee at a time.However,sometimes the hive may contain a group of female queen bees, who nest together in separate cells within a single nest. These nests do not hold more than a few bees at a time, and they nest in proximity to one another. Therefore, one usually finds a bunch of nests built together underground or in shrubbery roots. Their nests have many entrances and exit routes, which are always guarded by a few bees.



How To Get Rid of Sweat Bees

If these bees are a potential threat to your health and safety, then destroying their underground nests, would be the best option. People with allergies, must steer clear of bees and other flying insects, as the chemical released by its sting might cause fatal allergic reactions to these people. If there are bees close to the pool, in your garden, or if there are bees in house and you wish to remove them; you will have to first trace out their nests. Once you do that, take some Diazinon or simple liquid detergent and sprinkle the chemical into and around the entrance. Do the sprinkling only at night, because they are the most inactive at that time. This will make them evacuate and abandon their nests. Remember to cover yourself with a protective gear, such as thick clothes, jackets, boots and mask your face and head. If the nest is still occupied, then repeat the process, the chemical will eventually kill the bees. If you are too scared to do this on your own, then call a bee-keeper who will gas the area for you and that will prevent these bees from revisiting that area again. In case you do get stung, do not worry, their sting is absolutely harmless and weak. It's always good to know what to do , if a bee stings you.



All bees including the sweat bees, are extremely crucial for maintaining the balance of the Eco-system, as they play an integral role in pollination and keeping the vegetation alive. Many prefer to keep them alive and even let them breed, for helping the growth of their garden vegetation. They mustn't be harmed unnecessarily as the general population of the bee species has fallen drastically. The 'Colony Collapse Disorder' has adversely affected many bee species, since the past decade due to pollution, and toxins in the soil.

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Carpenter Bees Extermination Tips

Some bees can inflict painful stings. So they have to be eliminated from your house and surroundings. This article provides some tips to get rid of carpenter bees.

Bees and wasps are insects that are often viewed with awe and fear, as they can inflict painful stings. It is said that there are around 20,000 types of bees, across the globe. While some are social bees that live in colonies, others are solitary. An example of a social bee is the honey bee, and the carpenter bee is a classic example of a solitary bee. However, carpenter bees are found to live in close vicinity, sometimes in really large numbers. Even though, they are said to be docile insects, female carpenter bees can inflict painful stings. If you find carpenter bees in large numbers, in your surroundings, get rid of them immediately.

Carpenter Bee Facts

They are large bees with hairy bodies. They may resemble bumble bees, due to their size; but the latter have hairy abdomen. Most of these bees build their nest in dead wood and bamboo, and hence, the name. They are excellent drillers, and the females can drill holes and make nests in structures made of wood. They are commonly found to build nests in wooden siding and decks; and if you find any sawdust accumulation near these structures, make sure to check for the nests. 

As compared to some other species, carpenter bees are found to be docile; and do not sting, unless they are attacked. This does not mean that they do not sting at all. Being large in size, they can scare away people, especially kids. Even though they are solitary, carpenter bees can build nests in nearby areas; and can result in their accumulation, which can be sometimes unsafe. So, in case you find their nests in the house or surroundings, you must think of proper extermination methods. 

How to Get Rid of Carpenter Bees

Once you identify these bees frequenting a particular place, try to locate their nests. You may find holes (with around half-inch diameter) on wooden structures, with lots of sawdust nearby. Check for yellowish particles that are actually the excrement of these insects. Each nest will have a male and a female. The males are often found roaming around the nest. Once you locate their nests, you may try any of the following methods to get rid of these bees.
Cover their nests with a material that cannot be burrowed. For this purpose, you may use steel wool, wood putty, caulk, or any other sealant. However, make sure to wear a face mask and gloves, while doing this task, so as to avoid getting stung.
Spray petrol into their nests and nearby areas. However, this method can be risky, as petrol is an inflammable substance. Even boric acid is said to work wonders, in order to eliminate them.
You may use a vacuum cleaner to suck out the insects from the nest. This should be done, during dusk or dawn, when the insects are normally found inside their nests. All you have to do is to use the smallest attachment that has to be fixed on the hole, and suck out the insects. Seal the holes immediately.
There are different types of insecticides that can be used for carpenter bees extermination. You may choose one of them and apply directly on their nests. Soak the nest with the product and seal them.
In short, exterminating carpenter bees is not a daunting task, provided you know the right methods. Take enough precautionary measures to avoid their stings. The cracks and crevices on wooden structures must be sealed, to deter these insects from making their nests. Painting the wooden structures may also be effective to some extent.

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The Bee Propolis Benefits

Another useful product of the honey bee, bee propolis, is becoming a popular home remedy for multiple ailments. This article tells you about the various benefits of this bee byproduct along with certain side effects associated with the same.



Bees make honey and wax, carry out pollination, so flowers can grow, and have an organized work and social structure, something that has influenced human society since ages. Bees are one of the nature's busiest workers. They work day and night, and fly long distances, in the interest of their hive. A less known, but useful bee product is propolis, whose benefits are largely medicinal in nature.



What is Bee Propolis?

A beehive is made up of millions of honeycombs, which are tiny hexagonal sections that divide the hive into small cubicles. In construction, one uses cement to bind the bricks together. In a beehive, propolis is used by the bees to seal open spaces and cracks. Tree sap collected from conifers, pines, flowers and small buds, along with small amounts of bee saliva, make up propolis. The exact content of propolis cannot be determined, as bees visit a lot of trees during a pollination drive, and it's difficult to trace their path from tree to tree. This byproduct of the bees, differs from hive to hive and region to region, as well as season to season.



Propolis should not be confused with beeswax, which is wax produced by natural secretions of the female worker bees. Beeswax is used to create the actual honeycomb cells. A mixture of beeswax and propolis is used to cement larger openings in the hive and seal brood cells.



Benefits

Both humans and bees enjoy the benefits of bee propolis. Bees use it to increase the hive's defenses by sealing off extra entrances and holes. It is considered to reduce vibration and structurally enhance the hive's architecture. It is used to line the nest, due to its bacterial properties, which helps in cutting down infections and diseases among the larvae and grown bees. When a lizard or foreign insect enters the hive and dies, the body is too large for the bees to carry outside, and so propolis is used to cover the body and mummify it.



Propolis is the bee's version of a sanitizer. However, for humans, the benefits are tenfold. It is often prescribed as a natural remedy or traditional medicine. Some proven benefits are:

It can be applied to small wounds as a topical cream.

Treats sores in the mouth and sore throats.

Treats second degree burns

Helps in reducing inflammation

Can be used as a mouthwash

Reduces infection after surgery

In other studies:

Research conducted by Professor S. Scheller and his team, in the Institute for Microbiology, at the Medical Academy in Poland, found that propolis is able to stimulate the immune system.

It helps in strengthening the liver against alcohol and tetrachloride, according to studies done in 1986 and 1987.

It increases the effects of penicillin and other antibiotics, in research conducted by scientist E.L. Ghisalberti of the Department of Organic Chemistry, at the University of Western Australia.

In veterinary research, propolis is found to increase the weight of milk-fed calves and prevent diarrhea.

Nowadays, it is being investigated as a possible treatment for cancer, bowel problems, and keeping blood pressure under control.



Side Effects

Although there are several benefits of propolis, certain side effects have also been observed in some groups of people. People, who can be sensitive to propolis are:

Those allergic to bee stings

Those allergic to bee pollen

Pregnant women. Due to lack of research conducted in this area, pregnant or breastfeeding women should avoid using it altogether

Asthma patients

Those allergic to balsam of Peru (also called black popular)

If you are allergic to propolis, you may experience eczema, swelling, and develop rashes. It is better to start with small quantities of this extract, slowly increasing the intake to its full dosage.



The benefits of this bee extract is another reason as to why bee conservation is important. The role that bees play in our lives has just become larger, thanks to propolis, their by-product that helps us stay healthy by treating as well as preventing certain health problems. If you find a beehive in your garden, don't squash it or spray it with pesticides. Think of the hard work, it took to make the hive and how every little product of the bee (honey, wax, propolis) is good for you. Be good to bees because everything they do is good for you.

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