Facts about Honeybees and Beekeeping
Throughout human history bees have been a part of daily life.
Importance of honey is mentioned in Holy Quran Surah number 16, Ayat number 68 and 69.
And your Lord revealed to the honeybee, "Make homes in the mountains, in the trees and in the structures they raise.
Then, eat from all the fruits and go along the pathways of your Lord made easy for you." From their bellies come out a drink of various colors in which there is cure for people. Surely, in that there is a sign for people who ponder.
Bees have existed for around 130 million years and have four life stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult.
Bees have five eyes: three simple eyes and two compound eyes.
Hives produce five distinct substances: honey, beeswax, propolis, pollen and royal jelly.
The earliest instance of beekeeping dates back at least 4,500 years and is said to be the second oldest profession.
Honeybees pollinate approximately one-third of the food we consume.
Over the course of its lifetime, a single bee will only produce about 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey.
Honey bees are the only insect species that produce food consumed by humans.
To create their trademark "buzz", honeybees beat their wings 200 times per second.
It takes the nectar from two million flowers for honey bees to make just 450 grams of honey.
The queen bee is the only bee that lays worker eggs and can live up to five years.
Male honeybees (also called drones) are larger than the worker bees, have no stinger and do no work. All they do is mate.
Honey lasts an incredibly long time, an explorer who found a 2,000 year old jar of honey in King Tut's tomb claimed it tasted delicious.
Bees communicate in two ways: the waggle dance and by using pheromones.
Honey has long been used as a beauty treatment due to its ability to attract and retain moisture.
Honeybees don't sleep. Instead, they conserve their energy for the next day's work by spend their nights motionless.
A queen goes on what is called a "mating flight" where she leaves the hive and mates with anywhere from 5 to 45 different drones.
She only needs to take the flight once in her lifetime, as all collected sperms are stored in her spermatheca, ready to be used when needed.
Drones die after mating with a queen.
Honey bees are taught how to make honey by older bees in the colony.
Honey is 25% sweeter than table sugar.
Bee venom is used as a treatment for several ailments, including arthritis and high blood pressure.
A single hive can produce anywhere from 27 to 45 kilograms of honey every year.
The darker the honey, the greater amount of antioxidant properties it has.
Honeybees have 170 odorant receptors, which gives them a sense of smell 50 times more powerful than a dog's.
Queens have smooth stingers, which are mostly used to kill other queens, whereas worker bees have barbed.
A queen can survive stinging, while a worker bee will die after it stings.
A worker bee can carry a load of nectar or pollen equal to 80% of her own body weight.
Bees have two stomachs: one for eating and one for storing nectar.
During the winter, some worker bees take on the job of "heater bees," where they vibrate their bodies in order to keep the hive at the optimal temperature of 95 degree Fahrenheit.
Honey is composed of 80% sugars and 20% water.
Some worker bees have the job of being an "Undertaker bee" and oversee the removal of dead bees from the hive.
Bees use the sun as a compass, and on cloudy days, use polarized light to find their way.
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