Bees: 10 curiosities you may not know
Are you sure you are fully familiar with the world of bees?
bees are truly complex and surprising animals. The life of a swarm is characterized by really interesting processes. These pollinating insects have a lot to teach us.
Are you sure you are fully familiar with the world of bees? Here are 10 interesting facts about these tireless workers.
1. Bees are the only ones to produce food that is edible for us
Bees are the only animal species capable of producing edible food for humans. In fact, honey is very popular with humans and in addition to this, it has numerous beneficial effects on our health.
Honey produced by bees is a powerful natural antibiotic that can remain intact even for centuries! Thanks to its composition (humidity below 18%) honey creates an unfavorable environment for the proliferation of any microorganism or bacterium.
In fact, beekeeping was born precisely for this mechanism of "collaboration" between bees and humans. Bees provide farmers with a small profit margin and in return they get care and monitoring from the man who is committed to protecting their survival.
2. The brain of bees is highly developed
Bees are intelligent animals. The bees' brains allow them to identify some particular shapes and colors. The most surprising thing is the way in which the swarms organize themselves inside the hive. The construction of hexagonal cells follows a truly sophisticated architectural model worthy of a very marked intelligence for such small insects. Bees are also skilled calculators and are able to learn and elaborate even complex reasoning.
3. Each family has its own smell
Each cologne has its own smell. Individuals belonging to a family are able to recognize themselves easily. The bees of a swarm are divided into queen bee , drones and workers . The structure does not follow a real hierarchy but is oriented more towards a collaboration mechanism. Inside the hive, each group of bees performs a specific task.
Thanks to the olfactory recognition then, the various families are able to easily recognize the presence of intruders. Each hive has only one queen bee. In the event that a queen re-enters the wrong hive, she will be immediately recognized as a stranger and consequently killed.
4. Only female bees can sting
The sting is a uniquely female organ. The worker bees and the queen bee have a sting with different characteristics, while the drones (male bees) do not have one.
Only female bees can sting. The queen's sting is straight and smooth and is used for reproductive purposes to lay eggs . The workers, on the other hand, have a slightly curved and serrated sting that allows them to defend themselves from attack by predators and in any threatening situation.
5. Bees communicate through dance
Do you know how bees communicate? The queen's production of pheromones is the main way to communicate within a swarm, but not the only one.
When the queen produces pheromones, she sends the bees scent signals that communicate certain information to them. Through the antennae, the worker bees receive these signals and understand what the queen bee's needs are.
To communicate with each other instead, the workers use particular movements during the flight that are defined as " bee dance ". The dance is performed with circular movements ( eight dance ) and is usually used by foraging bees to communicate to their companions the place where the source of nectar is found.
Thanks to dance, bees are able to provide information on the place to reach and communicate both the distance and the direction in which to go.
6. They prefer dirty water to clean water
Bees need water. When they have to drink, however, they prefer dirty water since their body needs mineral salts in abundance . Unlike spring water, stagnant water is very rich in these substances. For this reason, it is more likely to see a bee feeding on dirty water and not clean water.
7. Bees orient themselves with the sun
The bee is able to see the ultraviolet light emitted by the sun. Thanks to this, bees are able to know the exact position of the sun's rays even in the event of a cloudy sky. The sun is the reference point for the orientation of bees and is used as a compass. The receptors placed on the antennas of bees recognize polarized light invisible to us humans.
8. Bees have 5 eyes
Bees have 2 compound eyes and three simple eyes, called ocelli. In total 5 eyes . Their compound eyes (the larger ones) allow them to better identify every small movement and react faster. The three ocelli are located on the top of the head.
9. Each bee has its own personality
Each bee has its own personality. In fact, it is usual to notice the presence of more active bees and more lazy bees. According to some studies, some individuals tend to be more shy and reserved while others tend to be more inclined towards risk and adventure.
10. Drones play a marginal role
Within the hive, the role of drones is very limited. In fact, the males of the bee are only useful in the phase of mating with the queen bee . Drones do not participate in life in the hive. All the most essential tasks are carried out by worker bees .
The drones can't even feed themselves, and they get sustenance from the rest of the swarm. The moment they mate with the queen during the nuptial flight , the drones die.
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