Amazing facts about bees

So this week we wanted to shine the spotlight back on our friendly honey bees and try to surprise you with ten amazing facts you may not already know about our little stripey friends!

1. There are over 250 species of bee in the UK, including 225 solitary bees (they like to live on their own – we know how they feel sometimes!), 24 bumblebees (these are the big, round ones) and 1 honey bee (our fave!)
2. So bees are alive just so we can have a dollop of honey on our toast in the morning (or in our Just Bee Drinks), right? Yes, but these miracle workers are also a vital part of the environment and our food chain. As well as making the sweet stuff they also save farmers lots of money by pollinating crops (how thoughtful of them) meaning lots of delicious fruit and and vegetables. It’s estimated that 1 in every 3 mouthfuls of food we eat is thanks to bees and other pollinators – including apples, strawberries, tomatoes, coffee beans… the list goes on. All hail the bees! Check out this page on the BBC for more info…
3. Bees have five eyes and no we’re not having you on! They have two big eyes just like us but then also have three smaller eyes in the centre of their head to help sense where the best flowers are, meaning nothing gets passed them, how cool?!
4. Dumbledore is a Cornish word for Bumblebee – who knew?!
5. This fact is one of our favourites….Bees don't go to the loo in the hive, our little friends are too hygienic for that and don’t like any toilet business going on in their home! So where do they do it? Well this happens mid-flight and forms a kind of ‘yellow rain’, lovely. This is all to keep their home completely sterile and antibacterial.
6. There are 3 types of bee in the hive. The queen bee (she’s in charge!), the honey bee – a female bee that makes honey and looks after the hive and finally, a drone bee – the male bee that mates with the queen.
7. Only female bees (honeybees) sting! Yes, drones don’t even have a stinger… those sassy lady bees don’t like being crossed, basically the same as humans eh?! But remember, when a bee stings she loses her life (sad face), so bees only string as a last resort.
8. When a honeybee is born she is given several different jobs before leaving the hive. First, she looks after the other baby bees, then she helps clean the hive and also guards the hive from intruders (like pesky mice and wasps coming to steal their honey!). Finally, she learns to fly so she can go out to collect pollen and nectar to make honey.
9. Bees communicate by a form of dance - the waggle dance! Our bees are little performers at heart and this dance enables them to share information about where the best patches of flowers are, how clever!
10. And last but not least, second sad face… bees are facing numerous threats including: lack of habitat, harmful pesticides and climate change (amongst others). And this has lead to a number of bee species becoming extinct and others being classed as endangered. BUT we can all help! One little thing we can do is plant bee friendly flowers provide more food and habitat for them. Did you know Just Bee gives away free wildflower seeds? Go to our ‘Save The Bees’ page for more info. Click here.

Thanks for reading bees! We hope we have filled your heads with even more knowledge about the magic of bees :D …if you have any facts you wish to share with us then please do get in touch via social @justbeedrinks or email thehive@justbeedrinks.com

Until next week!

Blogger Bee x