9 Interesting and Unbelievable Facts About Bees You (Probably) Didn’t Know!


Bees have always fascinated humans because of their tirelessness and special behavior. The study of this creature is one of the most important case studies in the realm of animals.

Beekeepers around the world who take care of their health and their hives in exchange for a portion of the precious bee crop are well aware of the secrets of these animals. Small but fantastic Know.

Here are some interesting facts about bees that you probably do not know. Knowing this, you will have more enthusiasm when buying natural honey!

1. Running among a group of bees is not necessarily dangerous

Bees are harmless animals and, unlike wasps, are non-invasive. They only bite if they feel real danger, especially if they feel the danger is in the hive.

They are more obedient when bees collect nectar and pollen and return en masse to the hive; Because they have filled their bags with food, and because they can not bend their abdomen, it is not possible for them to bite.

Conversely, if you come across a group that takes care of the hive, you have to be very careful. In fact, it is precisely in the hives that bees behave more aggressively: bees patrol the entrance to ward off dangers and defend the hive, and the queen in particular.

Never try to separate the beehives alone, but contact a local beekeeper who will be happy to help!

2. Bees taught the ancient Egyptians the idea of ​​embalming

Bees, a symbol of diligence, courage and genius, inspired many ancient peoples with their behavior. Among the Egyptians who respected them and learned many lessons from their social organization. In particular, it was the bees that inspired the mummification techniques of the Egyptians. The Egyptians mummified bees with propolis and embalmed the bodies of the pharaohs. - Attar Khan

In fact, it should be noted that every time a small animal such as a mouse or insect enters the hive, it is bitten by bees that can not carry it out. Then it is covered with propolis to prevent spoilage and decomposition.

Propolis, a powerful antibiotic, preserves the animal’s body and turns it into a mummy. This phenomenon has been observed since the time of the ancient Egyptians, who copied the idea of ​​turning their pharaohs into mummies and used propolis as a material to cover their mummies.

The Egyptians were inspired by bees to embalm the bodies of pharaohs.

3. Bees are able to “steal” if necessary!

Who would have thought that hardworking bees could steal if needed? Well, you should know that when resources are scarce, bees enter the weakest hives to steal honey!

4. Bees never (or almost) never sleep!

Several studies show that bees rest for a short time instead of sleeping (up to 30 seconds) without falling asleep at all. In practice, they calm down and fall into a kind of trance: as they get older, these small dreams increase and become more regular.

The bee is collecting pollen and nectar - Attar Khan

Even at night, the bees do different things: the maids take care of the queen and feed her constantly. Because spawning never stops so the queen can easily lay two thousand eggs in twenty-four hours!

5. The queen bee mates only once in a lifetime

The queen bee mates once in her life and mates with about 12 lucky male bees during her wedding flight.

6. They travel around the world!

You probably never expect to produce 1 kg of honey, Bees have to fly about 144,000 kilometers, the equivalent of three and a half around the world!

7. Bees know geometry!

In addition to being tireless workers, bees are also good calculators. Try to observe carefully how accurately they form the complete hexagonal cells that make up the hive. Their geometric selection is not random: the hexagonal shape actually allows them to make the most cells in the least amount of space available.

Using a hexagonal geometric design is not unwise! - Attar Khan

Each cell corresponds to the other 6 cells and strengthens the whole structure and supports the heat exchange produced by the larvae while maintaining a constant temperature in the breeding area.

Bees know geometry

8. What does propolis mean?

The name Propolis is derived from the Greek word “προπολις”, which means “before” and “police”, and literally “in front of the city”. In the virtual sense, it clearly means “defender of the city.” Not surprisingly, bees usually use this substance to reduce hive entry and thus protect it from external hazards.

9. The secret language of bees, Bee Dance (the bee dance)

Bees have an extraordinary and very complex communication ability! In fact, to exchange valuable information, they perform a series of movements that go to Bee Dance (the bee dance) It is also famous.

When returning from pastures and plains, a bee performs a circular dance to communicate with others and realize that the nectar source is nearby, while if the source is further away, the dance follows the “eight English” shape. he does.

In addition, if it moves upwards from the circle, it means that the new source is in the direction of the sun. If you go down in the opposite direction, it means that you have to go in the opposite direction. Finally, if the dancing bee cuts a circle that forms an angle, the others realize that they must fly to the right or left of the sun, depending on the angle it creates relative to an imaginary vertical line. Super and super effective (watch the video below!)

Source:

https://allevamentiapistici.it/blogs/blog/10-incredibili-curiosita-sulle-api-che-non-conoscevi