Improving the world, one bee at a time!
The Story of Honey Haven Apiary
My name is Christina Bush and I began my adventure as a hobby apiarist in 2021 shortly after purchasing some land in beautiful Julian, California, where there are vast apple orchards and vineyards for our lucky bees to forage. I began taking classes through U.C. Davis and soon after enrolled in their California Master Beekeeper Program to gain a greater knowledge of the craft. I also joined the local beekeeping society in San Diego and have taken various classes through that platform. I've read book after book and watched many videos on the subject of beekeeping because I want to give my bees the best life and experience possible, as well as provide my local area with healthy bees to perform the much needed pollination.
I realized after just my first season of keeping bees that this will likely be a life-long activity for me and I've developed a love for my little pollinators. Despite their small size, honey bees have a monumental impact on the planet and are critical to agriculture and our food sources. The more I've learned, the more I adore them. I originally set up two bee hives in my apiary and, from the beginning, I developed a great passion for being in charge of their care, and I feel honored to be a steward for them. My purpose with this website is to provide educational information that I've gathered along with fascinating photos I've taken of these magnificent creatures. My hope is to create awareness and encourage more people to get involved with doing their part, even in tiny ways, to help make our world a better place where the bees can thrive and flourish.
Honey bees are not currently listed on the endangered species list, but they have been experiencing sharp declines in many regions across the planet. Fortunately, a great thing that has come out of this is that a very large number of concerned people have taken up beekeeping over the past decade. There are now over 125,000 of us in the United States, according to the National Honey Board, and interest is growing daily.
Let's all work together and do our part to save the bees!
Bees Are The World's Best Pollinators
In the 2020 meeting of the Royal Geographical Society of London, the Earthwatch Institute declared bees to be the most important living species on this planet.
The goal of every living organism, including plants, is to create offspring for the next generation and this is done through pollination, of which bees are the greatest resource on our planet.
The U.S.D.A. website defines pollination as the act of transferring pollen grains from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma.
Not only do bees play a huge role in agriculture by pollinating crops, but increased yields give rise to a lucrative honey industry.
Many fruits, nuts and vegetables require pollination by bees to yield fruit, and without pollinators these crops could all but disappear from our grocery store shelves.
One out of every three bites of food in the United States depends on honey bees and other pollinators. Honey bees pollinate approximately $15 billion worth of crops each year, including more than 130 fruits and vegetables.
Managed honey bees are important to American agriculture because they pollinate a wide variety of crops, contributing to food diversity, security and profitability.
Farmers who keep bees see greatly increased crop yields, whether they are growing vegetables, spices, coffee or flowers.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, bees feed 80% of the crops that we eat including broccoli, apples, asparagus, blueberries and coffee to name a few. They also pollinate alfalfa, a grass that feeds beef and dairy cows.
A Perfect Society
Honey bees were once thought to be representative of a perfect society, loyal to their queen and laboring together incessantly for the good of the commonwealth.
Honey bee colonies are often described as super organisms - a collective intelligence all working together and functioning like a single organism.
Bee hives are also similar to large cities. The colonies that live there perform complex tasks, have a clear division of labor, and cooperate in food gathering, offspring care and nest maintenance.
When kept properly, honey bees are good neighbors and only sting when provoked or if someone is attempting to enter their hive.
There are 4 stages of complete bee metamorphosis: egg, larva, pupa, adult (this all takes place within around 24 days)
There are only 3 types of bees in a colony:
Queen, Workers (unfertile females), Drones (males)
The queen rules the hive via chemistry. She produces pheromones that help organize, regulate, and govern colony functions.
The queen is the only bee female that reproduces, as the other ones are sterile because they are not fed royal jelly. Only the queen and the brood (babies) are fed royal jelly. The queen is fed it exclusively for her entire life.
Honey Bee Species:
Italian, Caucasian, Carniolan, German, African,
Cordovan, Russian, Buckfast, Asian
From the moment they crawl out of their cell, bees work until death for the greater purpose of their hive. No poolside honeycombs, no beehive retirement community, just 30-plus days on earth of constant labor.
Honey Bee Jobs:
Queen
Queen's Attendants
Nurse Bees/Brood Carers
Honey Comb Builders
Foragers
Nectar Collectors
Honey Makers
Hive Guards
Undertakers/Morticians
Architects
Honey Makers
Cleaners/Organizers
Water Girls
Drones
The queen bee is the single most important bee in a colony, as she produces the hive population. There is no such thing as a "king" bee.
Honey bees can fly up to 15 miles per hour.
Every bee colony has its own unique scent, made up of pheromones specific to that queen and her hive.
Sperm can be stored inside the abdomen of the queen for up to five years and she can release them at her discretion.
The worker bees take care of the queen for her entire life. They feed her, clean her and take off her waste.
In a typical hive, there are 100 female workers to every one male drone bee.
Bee eggs become larvae in 3 days, turn to pupae around the 9th day and then emerge as adult bees ready to serve their queen by day 24.
Bees symbolize hard work, orderliness, diligence and industriousness.
Together, a productive colony may gather 50 pounds of pollen each year.
If the queen dies, her hive will usually swarm.
"The busy bee has not time for sorrow". William Blake
"For so work the honey bees, creatures that by a rule in nature teach the act of order to a people'd kingdom". - William Shakespeare
Interesting Facts
The scientific name for honey bees is "Apis Mellifera" and they are native to Africa and Asia. They made their way to Europe by the Middle Ages.
In the U.S. there are six main honey bee races:
Italian, Carnolian, Buckfest, Russian, German and Caucasian - with Italian bees being the most popular among beekeepers because of their docile temperament.
There are approximately 2 million managed bee hives in the United States.
Beekeepers usually form a special bond with their bees and make tending to them a life long hobby.
There are almost 20,000 different types of bees in the world and they are found on every continent except Antarctica, where its too cold and there is nothing for them to eat.
Things forager bees collect: Honey, Propolis, Pollen and Water
Honey bees are very social and live in colonies of typically 50,000 - 100,000 individuals.
Two of the bees' favorite fragrances are lemongrass and peppermint.
Although very small, honey bees are one of the most advanced species on the planet and their colonies operate like large cities.
In many regions of the world, over 90% of bees have disappeared.
Bees can collect such large quantities of resources because they forage across a vast area, flying six miles or more away from their hives in search of flowers. When the conditions are right, a honey bee colony can collect several pounds of nectar in a single day.
Bees are classified as livestock by the USDA and beekeepers are considered to be agricultural professionals.
"Baby" honey bees are referred to as brood.
Bees can sense fear and will alert the rest of the hive if they think you're an intruder. Stay calm and they will usually pass you by.
Bees hate bananas! The scent from a banana triggers their alarm senses and can cause them to become aggressive.
Bees have 2 stomachs, one for eating and one for storing nectar.
Drones reach sexual maturity in 2 weeks and then die immediately after mating with the queen.
Bees have 5 eyes, 6 legs and 2 pairs of wings.
The queen may mate with up to 17 drones over a 1-2 day mating period.
Honey bees are the only insects that produce food consumed by humans.
In the summer months a queen bee can lay up to 2,500 eggs per day.
Bees drink approximately 2 1/2 gallons of water per day per hive.
During a single foraging trip, a honey bee will visit up to 100 flowers.
Bees will die if their body temperature reaches 41 degrees or lower, so they must be protected with hive insulation during the winter months.
The types of flowers the bees take their pollen and nectar from determine the flavor of the honey they produce.
Bees are very clean, polite and hygienic insects that groom themselves and each other like cats to maintain their pristine yellow fur coats.
The average worker bee makes only 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey during her lifetime.
Honeycomb is a mass of hexagonal prismatic wax cells that contain eggs, larvae, honey, pollen and nectar.
More Interesting Facts
A typical queen bee will lay somewhere between 175,000 and 200,000 eggs each year! In the summer they can lay over 2,500 eggs per day!
The Queen tends to stop laying eggs for a while during the winter, usually between the first of December through the end of January. As the day length becomes longer in late winter/early spring she will begin to lay eggs again and the colony rear new brood for the Spring.
During the winter, honeybees stay inside their hives and cluster tightly to stay warm. The worker bees vibrate their bodies to generate heat. The queen is toward the center of the cluster and the temperature in the hive is maintaind at around 95 °F.
The term "apiary" refers to the place where bee hives are kept and is often referred to as the "bee yard". Each hive in the apairy is inhabited by a different colony and each colony has only one queen.
Ounce for ounce, honey bee venom is more deadly that cobra venom.
An adult who is not allergic to bees can sustain hundreds, and even thousands, of stings without dying.
Bees fly up to 40 miles per hour and can fly as high as 4 1/2 miles
(24,275 feet above sea level).
A direct hit by a raindrop can stun or even kill a honey bee, so they typically stay inside the hive during inclement weather.
In order to make one pound of honey, a hive of bees has to fly around 55,000 miles. In their 6-8 week lifespan, a worker bee will fly the equivalent distance of 1 1/2 times the circumference of the earth.
Since ancient times the bee has been a symbol of wealth, good luck and prosperity.
Predators of the honey bee: birds, rodents, reptiles, mice, wax moths, bears, livestock, hive beetles, ants, robber bees, skunks, raccoons, varroa mites, frogs and lizards. Ants can be very pesky to bees as well and run them out of their hives.
Worker bees maintain a normal temperature inside a hive at around 95 degrees for proper brood development.
The bees' sense of smell is 50 times more powerful than that of a dog.
Bee colonies produce five substances:
honey, bees wax, propolis, pollen and royal jelly.
Worker bees die after stinging. Drones don't have stingers.
The bee is the most popular insect found in heraldry, and even the beehive occurs often as a crest. As a sacred emblem of Egyptian royalty, the bee began to be seen as a symbol of wisdom.
Some worker bees have the job of “undertaker” and are in charge of removing dead bees from the hive.
During the Middle Ages, warriors hooked trip wires to release stinging bees on their enemies.
Egyptians mastered bee-keeping on a very large scale around 3500 B.C. and they were even buried with honey, which were gifts for the afterlife.
A bee's brain is the size of a poppyseed.
Bees communicate through chemicals called pheromones.
Honey combs are the most efficient structures in nature.
Bees can be trained to detect buried landmines.
The name Melissa is derived from the Greek word for honey bee.
Honey - That Amazing Liquid Gold
“Kind words are like honey, sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.” Proverbs 16:24
- RAW HONEY -
Did you know that eating fresh honey from your local beekeepers not only has incredible health benefits but also helps with allergies to the local pollens and flowers?
Local, raw honey has unique flavors that are lost when industrialized. To help with allergies, you need to have local, raw, unadulterated honey. This will insure that the honey has the allergens native to the area you live in. Buying local fresh honey is just better.
Raw honey has 4 times the health benefits of processed honey as it contains bee pollen, propolis, niacin, riboflavin, calcium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, phosphorous, zinc and sugar. These make honey one of the healthiest things you can add to your diet, in moderation of course.
Pasterization and the processing of honey can greatly diminish the beneficial elements it contains. Raw honey is always better.
Honey is NEVER to be given to children under one year of age due to the risk of them contracting botulism.
From early times honey was regarded as good for heath and a giver of life.
Honey has numerous antibiotic and antiseptic properties. It fights infection in the body and helps to heal and regenerate burns and wounds. Many hospitals and nursing facilities use a special honey from New Zealand, called "Manuka" honey, to dress diabetic foot wounds.
A homemade scrub of honey, sugar and lemon gets rid of dead skin and reduces blemishes. This mixture is cleansing, anti-bacterial and contains anti-oxidants which helps to combat aging.
Honey is used in the treatment of eye diseases, bronchial asthma, throat infections, tuberculosis, thirst, hiccups, fatigue, dizziness, hepatitis, constipation, worm infestation, eczema, healing of ulcers and wounds, and used as a nutritious dietary supplement.
Honey is the only natural food that never spoils as long as it is kept airtight.
When you buy a pound of honey at the grocery store, it took about 770 bees to make that amount along with nearly 55,000 miles of travel and visiting more than 2,000,000 flowers.
The top 3 honey-producing states in the United States are California, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Honeycomb cells store nectar, pollen, water, honey and are a nursery for larvae to develop inside of.
Bees make honey by regurgitating digested nectar into honeycomb cells and then fanning it with their wings.
The darker the honey, the greater amount of antioxidant properties it has.
A single hive can produce 60-100 pounds of honey each year.
Honey is actually 25% sweeter than table sugar, meaning you can use less in recipes. For example, if what you're making calls for one cup of sugar, a good rule of thumb is to go with a ¾-cup of honey
- TOXIC HONEY/"MAD HONEY" -
All species of the rhododendron plants contain a group of neurotoxic compounds called grayanotoxins. When bees feed on the nectar and pollen of certain types of rhododendrons, they ingest grayanotoxins, which eventually make their way into the bees’ honey, effectively making it “mad.”
It doesn't harm the bees but is very toxic to humans who eat their honey.
According to information printed in Big Think Health Magazine:
- Toxic honey or "Mad" honey is produced by bees who feed on specific species of rhododendron plants, which grow in mountainous regions like those surrounding the Black Sea.
- For centuries, people have used mad honey for recreational, medicinal, and military purposes. Low doses cause euphoria and lightheadedness, while high doses cause hallucinations and, in rare cases, death.
- Mad honey is still harvested and sold today, though it's illegal in some nations.
It has been frequently reported that after consuming toxic honey, people experience toxic symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness, seizures, tingling sensations, respiratory difficulty, impaired speech, psychedelic effects, numbness, low pulse rate, muscle paralysis and even death in some cases.
Mad honey has been used in several acts of warfare. There is a historical episode of a mass poisoning during the ancient Third Mithridatic War. In a brutal and well-planned ambush, forces from the Kingdom on Pontus destroyed a Roman column through the clever use of "mad" honey. Incapacitated by the acute poisoning, the Romans were unable to hold off the Pontic forces.
One of the earliest accounts of mad honey comes from Athens, Greece and describes a company of Greek soldiers in 401 B.C. passing through Turkey. After eating honey stolen from beehives along the route, they vomited, had diarrhea, became disoriented and could no longer stand.
Honey should never be warmed, cooked, or heated under any condition. A study published in the journal AYU found that at a temperature of 140 degrees honey turns toxic.
- ADULTERATED HONEY -
The term "adulterated honey" means any honey to which has been added honeydew, glucose, dextrose, molasses, sugar, sugar syrup, invert sugar, or any other similar product or products, other than the nectar of floral exudations of plants gathered and stored in the comb by honey bees.
Honey adulteration is fraudulent and done for gaining financial profits by mixing cheap and low-quality items to the honey to increase the yield.
Selling fake honey in the United States is illegal.
Per the Food and Agricultural Code it is unlawful for any person to prepare, pack, place, deliver for shipment, load, ship, transport, or sell, any of the following:(a) Adulterated honey, unless the container is conspicuously marked, in letters or type of like size and character, which clearly and plainly indicate the contents.(b) Any product which is labeled or marked with the designation "honey" alone, if the contents consist of part or all of products other than the nectar of floral exudations of plants which is gathered and stored in the comb by honeybees.
(Ca. Food and Agric. Code § 29677)
There are adverse health impacts of honey adulteration that may lead to increased blood sugar, followed by the release of the insulin hormone and type II diabetes, abdominal weight gain, obesity, a rise in the blood lipid levels, and high blood pressure.
To test to see if your honey is adulterated, drop a teaspoon of honey into a glass of water. Fake honey will immediately start to dissolve, while raw honey will drop straight to the bottom of the glass intact.
Honey dippers are believed to have been invented in ancient China and were most likely originally designed to keep the honey from making a mess of things when you attempted adding it to your teas and other beverages. Unlike a spoon, where it can leave a sticky trail across the table, with the honey dipper, the honey will "magically" stay between the dipper's crevices. Simply rotating the dipper between the fingers as you transport it from your honey jar to its destination, the honey will not drip until it’s situated over your tea, chai, or coffee.
Royal Jelly and Propolis
Royal jelly is often referred to as a honey bee's version of "mother's milk" and is a protein-rich secretion produced by the worker bees. This milky substance is fed to all larvae for a short period of time during the honey bee life cycle, and is also fed exclusively to the queen.
An egg which is required to developing a Queen is fed a diet of royal jelly and nothing else. This causes that egg to develop faster, and bigger - with the full reproductive capabilities that only the Queen honey bee has.
Royal jelly gets its name because it is used as food for the queen bee. It is rich in protein, carbs, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids.
It also has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.
- HEALING BENEFITS OF ROYAL JELLY -
- It boosts the immune system, in general, and heals mucositis, in particular. Just like honey, it also improves asthma rates.
- Studies have shown a cholesterol and lipoprotein-lowering effect of royal jelly, as well as triglyceride-lowering and HDL-increasing, conferring a benefit on cardiovascular health.
- It improves the blood’s glucose levels, as well as ulcerations related to diabetes
- It improves anemia rates by slightly increasing the number of red blood cells.
- It increases testosterone levels in men that regularly consume it, as well as improving sperm quality. Royal jelly has also been shown to have a positive impact on the FSH/LH ratio, however, this effect is reversible upon cessation of supplementation. Royal jelly increases libido, too.
- Consumption of 3000mg of royal jelly daily has been linked to increased cognition in middle and older age and is protective against Alzheimer’s disease.
- It increases collagen and improves the skin's appearance. For that reason, it is also used to heal wounds; it increases fibroblast migration, cells in connective tissue that produce collagen. Royal jelly has been suggested in suppressing skin pigmentation, and hence is proposed as a candidate to inhibit melanogenesis, thus it could be developed as cosmetics skincare products. Melanin synthesis reduction occurs via tyrosinase expression down-regulation.
- Due to its nutrient combination, royal jelly (combined with other bee products) has been shown to alleviate unpleasant premenstrual symptoms, such as irritability, weight fluctuations and water retention.
- It eases menopausal symptoms. Preliminary research has shown that royal jelly protects against osteoporosis by decreasing bone resorption (anti-osteoclastic).
- Confers antiproliferative effects on neuroblastoma cells, making it a possible anti-cancer superfood.
(Reference: Nutritionist Resource)
About 600 tons of royal jelly is produced each year in the United States.
- PROPOLIS -
To reinforce their hives, bees use a resin from poplar and evergreen trees called propolis. It's basically beehive glue. Although bees use it as caulk, humans use it to fight off bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Research shows that propolis taken from a beehive may relieve cold sores, canker sores, herpes, a sore throat, cavities, and even eczema.
Bees not only collect pollen and water, but also resin and sap from a variety of plant sources. Sap and resin are used to create propolis, a sticky and extremely strong substance that serves to help seal gaps and reinforces the hives overall structural integrity.
Some Favorite Bee Plants and Trees
* Lavendar
* Sunflowers
* Coneflowers
* Bachelor’s Button
* Sage
* Lilac
* Hibiscus
* Heathers
* Dahlias
* Foxgloves
* Hollyhocks
* Bluebells
* Snapdragons
* Mint
* Cilantro
* Zinnias
* Sweet Alyssum
* Morning Glories
* Black-Eyed Susans
* Larkspur
* Bee Balm
* California Poppies
* Any Citrus Trees
* Honey Locust Trees
* Acacia Trees
* Maple Trees
Threats to Honey Bees
- Habitat Loss -
This is the #1 factor for bee decline. Natural bee habitats like prairies and grasslands are being destroyed and plowed to make room for farming and other agricultural industries. This land use change has taken away the resources that bees need for nesting, overwintering, and foraging.
- Colony Collapse Disorder -
"CCD" is the phenomenon that occurs when the majority of worker bees in a colony disappear and leave behind a queen, plenty of food, and only a few nurse bees to care for the remaining immature bees and the queen. Its one of the top losses of bee colonies in recent years. Many people believe the new 4G & 5G cell towers are to blame. The frequency waves are said to disturb their "internal GPS " and then they can't find their way back home after foraging for the day.
- Diseases & Parasites -
American Foulbrood, Varroa Mites, Chalkbrood, Hive Beetle Infestation, Nosemosis, Bee Parastic Mite Syndrome (BPMS), Deformed Wing Syndrome, Black Queen Cell Virus, Acute Bee Paralysis Virus
- Fungi & Bacteria -
Fungal pathogens negatively impact the productivity and population size on honey bee colonies. Sac-brood disease is the most common viral disease of honey bees where the larvae appear sac-like. When sick, the colony declines gradually with few or no replacement workers, costing 20-80% of honey production.
- Bees Wax Adulteration -
This occurs when there are residues of pesticides and varroacides in the bees wax, which can be fatal to the brood. The brood mortality rate is actually above 45% once infected.
- Pesticides -
The use of agricultural chemicals and pesticides make bees vulnerable to poisoning and death. Both beekeepers and growers can take steps to help encourage safe pollination and manage the risk of bee poisoning. Most bee poisoning events occur because of a lack of communication and coordination between the chemical user and beekeepers.
- Winter Survival Rates -
About 30% of honey bee colonies do not survive the winter due to excess moisture, starvation, cold, varroa mites and viruses.
- Limited Floral Resources -
As native vegetation is replaced by roadways, manicured lawns, crops and non-native gardens, pollinators lose the food and nesting sites that are necessary for their survival.
- Low Genetic Diversity -
The lack of genetic diversity creates a vulnerabilty for U.S. honey bee survival rates. There is also concern that a honey bee's inability to fight off disease or parasitic infection could negatively impact beekeeping sustainability.
- Pathogens Spread By Commercial Bees -
An Entomologist at the Univerisity of California, Riverside has analyzed a large body of research and come to the conclusion that managed bees are spreading diseases to wild bees due to the pesticides and chemicals they are being exposed to.
Old-Time Remedies for Bee Stings
Baking soda: make a paste with baking soda and water, apply to the sting and let sit until dry
Toothpaste: put a dab of toothpaste on the sting until the pain subsides
Tobacco: wet the tobacco and place it on the sting until the pain goes away
Copper penny: place a copper penny over the bee sting for 15 minutes
Tea bag: wet a tea bad and press it on the sting until the pain subsides
Meat tenderizer: mix one part meat tenderizer to 3 parts water and place on sting for 30 minutes
Aspirin: crush an aspirin and mix it with equal parts water, place on the sting and let dry
Honey: place raw organic honey on the sting and cover with a bandage, rinse after 30 minutes
Essential oils: Diluted oils such as lavender and tea tree oil have been used to help with relief from bee stings
Apple cider vinegar: soak a cotton ball in vinegar and place on the sting until the pain dissipates
A lethal dose of bee venom is 10 stings/pound of body weight.
Bee Venom Therapy or "Apitherapy"
Apitherapy, also called "Bee Venom Therapy (BVT)" or "Bee Sting Therapy" is an alternate therapy that relies on the usage of honeybee products, most importantly bee venom for the treatment of many human diseases. The venom from bees can be introduced into the human body by manual injection or by direct bee stings.
According to the National Library of Medicine, bee venom contains several active molecules such as peptides and enzymes that have advantageous potential in treating inflammation and central nervous system diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Bee venom has shown promising benefits against different types of cancer as well as anti-viral activity, even against the challenging human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Its also used as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, high blood pressure and a few other inflammatory conditions.
As with any treatment, there are side effects that can be expected from BVT treatment. While not everyone will experience all of the possible side effects, the most common side effects include the initial pain of the sting, as well as swelling, redness, itching, soreness and tenderness, feelings of heat in the treatment area, and in extreme cases nausea and fever. It is important to note that none of these localized reactions are typically life threatening. A life threatening anaphylaxis reaction will affect the entire body. (Bee Culture Magazine)
Ways You Can Help The Bees
We can all do our parts to be stewards for the marvelous pollinators of the world that are so vital to the lives of human beings. Becoming a beekeeper is ultimately the greatest thing you can do, but it's not for everyone.
There are still many little things that can be done to help make their lives better, so they in turn can make the entire world better. Even just educating others about things you learn here could potentially have a huge impact on those you're teaching.
* Become a beekeeper
* Make a bee paradise
* Plant a bee flower garden
* Go chemical-free
* Set up a watering station
* Provide flowering trees for them
* Create a bee bath in your yard
* Buy honey from local beekeepers
* Build homes for native bees
* Teach tomorrow’s bee stewards
* Support local beekeepers and organizations
* Help to protect swarms from being destroyed
* Invite a beekeeper to speak at a local group you support
* Be respectful and considerate of the bees
Bees prefer a natural meadow to a perfectly manicured area. Consider letting a portion of your yard go back to its natural roots. Allow clover, lavender and dandelions to grow there - these are three favorite delicacies for the honey bee.
You can create a bee bath by filling a shallow bird bath or bowl with clean water and arrange stones and pebbles inside so they can break the water's surface. Bees will land on the stones and be able to take a nice, refreshing drink.
Bees can literally work themselves to death by becoming dehydrated and then not being able to find the energy to get water. Anyone can create an area in their yard or garden where the busy bees can hydrate and re-fuel.
If a bee hovers in front of you when unprotected, do not flap your hands or get overly excited. Stay calm and slowly move away and soon it will lose interest.
A simple solution of sugar and water will revive a tired bee. The sugar water recipe for bees is: 1:1 sugar to water
Never use chemicals on your plants in bloom because foraging bees can take the insecticides back to the have and kill thousands of bees.
Never use vinegar around bees! It will kill them instantly.
Call the Bee Hotline if you need emergency assistance with regard to bees: 800-200-BEES
ADVICE FROM A HONEY BEE
- Create a buzz
- Sip life's sweet moments
- Mind your own bees wax
- Work together
- Always find your way home
- Stick close to your honey
- Bee yourself
Albert Einstein once famously said: “If the honey bee disappeared off the face of the earth, humans would have only 4 years left to live. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man."