Though I’m not a beekeeper, I’ve gained a wealth of knowledge about honey bees over the past few years from the UF/IFAS Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory, fellow Extension Agents, and Ms. Atkins, the President of the Beekeepers of Putnam County. With National Honey Bee Day (the third Saturday in August)  upon us, I wanted to share some of the fascinating facts I’ve learned.

The Queen Bee

The queen bee is the largest and most important member of a honey bee hive, but despite her significance, she’s not the ruler of the hive as many believe. Here are five fascinating facts about the queen bee:

1. Egg-Laying Machine
   The queen’s primary role is to lay eggs continuously, ensuring the hive’s survival. Remarkably, she can lay up to 2,000 eggs per day.
2. A Shorter Reign in Florida
   In Florida, a queen’s lifespan typically ranges from 3 to 5 years. However, if she’s not meeting the hive’s needs, the worker bees will cluster around her, raising her temperature until she perishes.
3. Royal Treatment from Birth
   When a new queen is needed, worker bees select a few of the healthiest larvae and begin feeding them royal jelly. This special diet transforms an ordinary worker bee larva into a fertile queen.
4. A Race to Rule
   The queen is the fastest-developing bee in the colony, emerging after just 16 days. Upon emerging, she seeks out and kills any other developing queens before mating and beginning her life’s work of egg-laying.
5. Preparation for Swarming
   The queen is well-cared-for by her attendants, giving her the energy needed to produce thousands of eggs. However, if the hive becomes too crowded or honey-bound, the workers will prepare for a colony split. Because she’s been so well-nourished, the queen often becomes too heavy to fly. To remedy this, the workers will withhold food and chase her around the hive until she’s light enough to take flight and establish a new colony elsewhere.

Drones

Drones are the male members of a honey bee colony, and while they don’t get much attention, they play a crucial role in the survival of their species. Their primary job is to mate with queens from other hives. Here are a few other intriguing facts about drones:

1. No Chores for Drones
   Unlike worker bees, drones have no responsibilities within the hive. They don’t gather food, build comb, or care for the young. Instead, worker bees feed them and clean up after them.
2. A Life of Luxury, with Limits
   Although drones might seem to live in luxury, being waited on hand and foot, their good fortune has boundaries. If the hive’s food reserves start to dwindle, worker bees will bite off their wings and eject them from the hive to conserve resources.
3. A Fatal Mating
   After mating with a queen, a drone’s life comes to an abrupt end. The act of mating is fatal, as the drone dies shortly afterward.

Worker Bees

Worker bees are the backbone of the honey bee colony, handling a wide range of tasks and making

collective decisions for the hive’s progress. They are also the ones responsible for producing the sweet honey we enjoy. Here are some fascinating facts about worker bees:

1. 

   A Colony of Thousands
   A single honey bee colony can house around 60,000 bees, with the majority being worker bees.

2. Aging into Roles
   Worker bees take on different jobs as they age. Their roles include housekeepers, nurse bees, attendants to the queen, architects, undertakers, HVAC units (keeping the hive cool), guards, and foragers.
3. Special Skills of the Young
   Only young worker bees have the ability to produce wax for building comb and royal jelly to nourish the queen and developing larvae.
4. A Short but Busy Life
   The average lifespan of a worker bee is just 45 days, during which they tirelessly contribute to the hive’s wellbeing.
5. Honey Production
   Despite their hard work, a single honey bee will produce only about 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime.

There’s an endless array of fascinating facts about honey bees, and I’ve only scratched the surface here. If you’re eager to learn more, I’ve listed some other blogs and webpages below that I found both interesting and helpful while putting together this post.

Honey Bee Research and Extension Lab
Let’s make some buzz on National Honey Bee Day! August 20th
Beekeepers of Putnam County Florida Facebook Page

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