5 Things You Didn’t Know About Honeybees

Bees are fascinating creatures. They are intelligent, resourceful, and very hard workers – it only makes sense that all worker bees are female. 

The way bees function as a group is unlike anything else in nature. Everything they do is for the good of the whole, and as quirky as some of their behavior and skills might be, it all has a grander purpose that contributes to a hive's success. Here are some of our favorite bee facts to help you get to know our furry friends a little bit better.

1. Honeybees Communicate Through Dance

Yes, you read that right—honey bees are incredible dancers. The "waggle dance" is a method used by scout bees to tell their hive mates where to find the best flowers.

When a scout bee finds a good source of nectar, it returns to the hive and performs a dance on the honeycomb. The direction of the dance in relation to the sun tells the other bees the direction to the flowers, while the duration of the waggle indicates the distance. They have their own adorable GPS system.

2. Honeybees Are Great Mathematicians

Honeybees might just be nature's finest structural engineers. When building their hives, bees construct hexagonal honeycomb cells. The hexagon is mathematically perfect for honey storage. This shape uses the least amount of material to hold the most amount of honey, while also being extremely strong for its weight.

In fact, humans have observed and adopted this shape in construction over the generations and found that it is indeed one of the strongest structures. Bees instinctively know that the hexagon is the best shape for their needs—true mathematical genius in nature!

3. Bees Can Recognize Human Faces

In a surprising study, scientists have discovered that honeybees can recognize and differentiate between human faces. The study showed that bees use a mechanism similar to humans’—processing the parts of the face like eyes, ears, and mouth to identify and differentiate one human face from another. So next time you swat at a bee, remember that it might just be able to pick you out of a lineup.

4. A Queen Bee's Journey

The life of a queen bee is quite a saga. When it’s time for a new queen, the old queen leaves the hive with a group of workers to start a new colony, a process known as swarming.

Back in the old hive, several queen larvae are raised by the remaining workers, and the first to emerge will potentially become the new queen. Sometimes, to secure her throne, the first-emerging queen will eliminate her rival queens while they're still in their cells—absolutely vicious, and not unlike queens in human history. 

5. Honeybees Don't Sleep

Honeybees are incredibly hard workers. Instead of full-on sleeping, they take tiny power naps throughout the day and night. Each of these micro-sleeps lasts for just a few seconds, but they add up to about 30 minutes to an hour of sleep in a 24-hour period. This allows them to be incredibly productive, ensuring that the hive runs smoothly and stays well-maintained.

The Brilliant Honeybee

From their intricate communication methods to their impressive memory skills, bees continually fascinate and inspire us. So next time you see a bee buzzing around, take a moment to appreciate these little wonders of nature. There’s far more to them than meets the eye. 

How about learning about bees in person? Next time you’re in Savannah or Myrtle Beach, take some time to join one of our Bee Garden Tours. You get to interact with a live hive and learn everything there is to know about bees and honey from one of our educators. 

#savethebees