Honeybee Facts for Kids
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- Honey bees live in hives or colonies
- 30,000-60,000 honey bees can live in one hive.
- There are three different types of honey bees that live in a hive; the Queen bee, worker bees and drones.
- Male honeybees are called drones
- The drones only job is to mate with the queen bee so she can lay eggs.
- After the drone fertilizes the queen bee, he dies
- Drones never leave the hive
- During the Winter, the female or worker bees kick the drones out of the hive and they die.
- Drones cannot feed themselves, they are completely dependent on the worker bees for survival.
- Female bees are called worker bees.
- The worker bees do everything to keep the hive operating.
- The worker bees bring pollen and nectar to the hive to feed the drones and queen bee.
- They produce honey from the pollen and nectar.
- The honey is used to feed all the bees in the colony
- Worker bees store the honey is the honeycomb of the hive.
- The worker bees must produce enough honey to feed the bees during the winter months.
- The worker bees feed the drones
- They also keep the correct temperature in the hive
- The Queen bee’s only job is to lay eggs
- Queen bees can lay 2,500 eggs per day.
- The Queen bee can live up to 6 years. All the other bees live only 6 weeks.
- When the Queen dies the worker bees raise the new queen.
- The worker bees choose a young larva or baby and feed it a special food called royal jelly.
- Royal jelly is a substance that is made in the glands of honey bees.
- The royal jelly gives the bee the ability to lay eggs. Only the Queen bee can lay eggs. The royal jelly also enables the Queen to live up to 6 years.
- Only female bees have stingers. The stingers are attached to their abdomen.
- When a female honey bee stings, they die. Since their stingers are attached to their abdomen, stinging causes their cuts to come out.
- Honey bees are a very important part of our environment. They pollinate the flowers, fruits and vegetables.
- Pollination is when insects like bees, birds, bats and the wind bring pollen to flowering plants so they can make seeds and grow.
- Honey bees live all over the world
- They are about ½ inch long.
- Honey bees have 5 eyes and 6 legs
- They are a golden yellow color with brown stripes.
- They can flap their wings 11,000 times per minute! That’s where their buzzing sound comes from.
- Predators include some birds, mammals and small insects.
- Larger mammals such as bears have been known to destroy a hive and eat the honey inside.
- Beekeepers raise bees to collect honey from the hive.
- Beekeepers wear protective clothing when approaching a hive. Never touch a beehive without protective clothing.
- Beekeepers will smoke a hive to calm the bees and get the honey.
Bee Tip
- If a bee is close to you, don’t yell and wave your arms. Doing so will scare the bee and they bee may sting you. If a bee is close to you, that means she is investigating to see if you are a flower. Instead of yelling blow a little air towards the bee, like you were blowing a kiss. The bee will think it’s the wind and fly away.
