Bee Blog

The Buzz About Bees

A friend recently lent us a book, The Buzz About Bees by Jurgen Tautz (ISBN 978-3-540-78727-3).  Most of the books I have read are by beekeepers for beekeepers but this is a fascinating book with the emphasis on the biological  facts behind bees and the working of the hive.

• It takes the energy from 7.5 kgs of honey for the bees to produce 1200g of wax.
• Directly after swarming, the honey that was taken on the journey provides enough energy for the bees to construct 5,000 cells which is enough to start a new colony.
• Flowers stand out through their colours, bees have an innate sense of colour and a very highly developed sense of smell.
• In summer the queen lays between 1000 and 2000 eggs every day, each in it's own cell. At one to eggs per minute the queen lays her own body weight each day.  Translated into human terms; 20 babies per day for the entire summer!
• The larvae obtain their nourishment from Royal Jelly, the function of which is comparable with the mothers milk of mammals.

These are just a few snippets from the book, it is well worth a read.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3224638-the-buzz-about-bees