1. What is honey?

Bees eat pollen and nectar from flowers. They get protein from pollen, while sugar from nectar gives them energy. Honey is a mixture of pollen and saliva.


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2. The heavy responsibility of bees

Each bee plays a well-defined role within the colony, and a few of them work as undertakers. Their job is to remove dead bees from the hive so that it stays clean. Others, like soldiers, stand guard in front of the hive.

3. Communicate while dancing

When a bee goes on reconnaissance finds a food source, it returns to the hive and produces a sequence of movements to indicate to the others where the loot is. A circular motion means food is nearby, while a wriggling eights dance means you have to go further. The inclination and speed of the dance indicate direction and distance, and the fragrance retained by the Girl Scout's body allows her acolytes to spot the right flowers.

4. Bees in a hive can travel 145,000 km to produce 1 kg of honey, more than three times the circumference of the Earth!

5. A species holds a world record in insects

Carpenter bees dig tunnels through wood and earth using their powerful mandibles. The purple xylocope, which can measure 23 mm, digs tunnels almost 30 cm in length. He holds the world record for the largest insect egg.

6. There are about 20,000 species of bees; 90% are solitary and only 19 species produce honey.

7. Some bees make leaf nests

Cutting bees, a nesting species, make nests in the stem of plants, in wood and in cavities of rock faces. They cut out leaf discs that they glue together with their saliva to create a cell for their young, whose tops they carefully seal to keep them safe.

8. Scientists mistakenly created a "killer" bee

In the 1950s, entomologist Warwick Kerr crossed European and African bees with the goal of creating a more productive species suitable for South America. In 1957, 26 queens escaped from their hives in Brazil and the Africanized bee has been spreading ever since. These hybrids, nicknamed "killer bees", are extremely aggressive and chase the slightest threat for more than 400 m.

9. During its lifetime, a bee produces 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey, or less than 1 g.

10. About 75% of the world's food crops depend in part or all on pollination.

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