Bees are crucial to our planetary health and survival – as pollinators, they are responsible for about a third of the food we eat. Yet bee populations worldwide are declining, largely due to climate change. Here are 8 surprising facts you didn’t know about these amazing insects and how you can help protect them.
Bees put honey in honeymoon
There may be more than 20,000 bee species, but only members of the genus Apis (11 known species) make honey.
- We may owe bees and ancient Norse drinking habits for the term “honeymoon”
- Mead was an ingredient in the earliest known alcoholic beverages, including mead
It’s not too late to save bees – and YOU can help
Take action to help bees where you live
- With just a smartphone and a willingness to learn, you can contribute to various citizen science projects
- Plant more wildflowers, don’t use pesticides that harm bees and apply them before flowering begins
Some bee species defend their hives with giant balls of heat
Bees use their wings to fan hot air out of the hive to cool an area or vibrate their flight muscles to heat it
- As a changing climate brings new predators their way, some bee species have taken thermoregulation abilities to the next level
Honeybees live according to a strict hierarchy
There are three types of honeybees: queens, workers and drones
- Only one queen, the largest and longest-living individual within a hive
- Worker bees are all female and the only bees with stingers
- Drones are the only ones that die after mating
Bottom Line
Bees help farmers grow better food and keep food prices down by pollinating crops
- But climate change could threaten our food systems
- Experts fear that bees aren’t adapting to shifting temperatures like some other species
- In some areas, flowers are also starting to bloom earlier with warming temperatures which could spell trouble for both wild and farmed crops
Bees can remember human faces
Bees may have brains the size of poppy seeds, but they are able to pick out individual features on human faces and recognize them during repeat interactions
Honeybees can age backwards
Some honeybees have the remarkable ability to age in reverse
Scientists use bees to study serial killers
Researchers developed a statistical technique called geographic profiling (GP) in order to study repeat-offense crimes
- Based on the locations of the crimes, police can make educated guesses about where a suspect might live or visit regularly.
- Bees’ feeding patterns are similar
- In 2008, a team of researchers observed bees visiting different flowers, and attempted to locate their hive based on existing GP techniques
