Honeybees 8 Things To Know

The honeybee is a very busy pollinator during the summer months and is one of natures hardest workers.

You can identify a honeybee by noticing their golden brown colour paired with black stripes and a fuzzy head and abdomen. These little workers are well populated in our garden and we love having them around. Learning about bees is important and we continue to plant crops in our garden that attract these fuzzy flying friends to work each year!

Here's what to know about Honeybees. . .

1. They fly from plant to plant at approximately 25km per hour.

2. Are native to Europe.

3. They live in hives which are also known as colonies and swarm together to find the perfect home.

4. There is one queen bee in every hive who keeps watch on all the bees. The drone bees are the males and their main job is to mate with the queen.

5. The worker bees are all female and will pollinate over 100 types of plants, specifically being agricultural crops. Some of those plants in our garden include turnip, zucchini, squash, dill, fennel, and sunflowers (to name a few!)

6. They carry pollen back to the hive on their bodies as it sticks to what is called pollen carrier hairs. Only female bees have these hairs as they are the pollinators

7. They produce honey! These little buzzing bees produce honey as food for their survival during the winter months. However, they work so hard they produce a surplus of honey, leaving us to benefit! Honeybees will produce 2-3 times more than they need allowing us humans to harvest this special treat each year.

8.  They can only sting once and unfortunately will not live after. Honeybees will not try to sting you and if this happens it is usually because they feel threatened. If you do get stung, remove the stinger and add a drop of diluted lavender essential oil directly to the sting to sooth the pain and irritation.

Honeybees are important members of our ecosystem and it is important we work together to continue protecting them. We encourage you to grow a diverse selection of plants in your own garden and get to know the bees that pollinate your flowers and crops! Honeybees are only one of many types of bees flying in our area on Vancouver Island and each time we see them, we thank them for their continued hard work!

What type of bees fly around your garden??