Blue Umbrella Official May 2020 issue | Page 14

Im por tance of Honeybees By Karliegh P. and Kyle S. During the spring and summer seasons, you see beautiful flowers blooming in a vast orchard or field. What do you think upon seeing that sight? "How do all of those incredible plants get there? How do so many of them get pollinated? And why is there a little creature flitting from flower to flower?" That would be the bee. Bees are divided into three castes, or groups. There are the worker bees, drones, and a queen.?Each bee has its specific duty.? The worker bees, the females, are the most common bee you'll find doing the pollinating since drones?only job is to mate with a queen. The queen cannot fly except when the colony is swarming or, in other words, making two hives from one.?The queen is essential for the survival of the hive because she is the only bee that is capable of laying eggs - laying nearly 2,000 eggs a day!?The honey, pollination, nursing the young, and cooling the hive, however, would not be done without the workers.? Workers have the shortest lifespan of only 3 to 5 weeks; on the other hand, the queen has 2 to 3 years!?Drones are kicked out of the hive when their services are no longer required. the delicious, bear-approved honey, but they also pollinate over 80% of all the food we eat. Not only that, but bees are the reason for all of those beautiful flowers you see throughout the year.?When they visit each flower, they don?t only help the flower, they help themselves and humans as well. On average, a honeybee hive can produce 80-100 pounds of honey per year.? They produce so much honey that they have enough for their winter meals and some left for humans.?Humans and other creatures get to eat the fruits and vegetables that the bees pollinated. Not only do these fascinating little helpers make and pollinate delicious food and treats, but their wax, honey, and even sting 14 Small in size, but mighty in benefits, not only do honeybees make Features