Bee Behavior & Communication

Honey bees play a crucial role in pollination and the health of ecosystems. However, their populations have been dwindling in recent years, with a variety of factors contributing to their decline. One significant factor that has received increasing attention is the impact of artificial light on honey bee behavior. Studies have shown that exposure to […]

Honey bees are known for their vital role in pollinating plants, which in turn, supports our food and agricultural systems. However, the importance of honey bee foraging behavior is just as crucial in maintaining the delicate balance of our ecosystem. Foraging behavior refers to the habits and strategies honey bees use to collect nectar and

Key Takeaways As a beekeeper, one of the most important things you can do for your hives is to prevent honey bee robbing. Robbing behavior occurs when bees from one hive try to steal honey from another hive. This can cause a significant decrease in honey production, and even lead to the loss of entire

Bees communicate through a combination of dances, pheromones, and vibrations. The most famous is the “waggle dance,” used by forager bees to inform hive mates about the direction and distance to sources of nectar and pollen. Pheromones are chemical signals for various purposes, including marking paths, identifying colony members, and signaling distress. Vibrations or “piping”

Honey bees can fly at speeds of up to 15 miles per hour (24 kilometers per hour) when foraging or returning to the hive with nectar and pollen. The below paragraphs offer a more detailed look at the topic of how fast bees fly… If you have ever had a bee chase you, or if

Honey bees exhibit a defensive behavior when they perceive a threat to their hive. Beekeepers, despite their efforts to manage hives carefully, are not immune to bee stings. The bees’ instinct to protect their hive and queen can lead them to sting intruders, including beekeepers. However, experienced beekeepers often develop techniques to minimize agitation and

In winter, bees focus on survival, clustering inside their hives to maintain warmth. They form a tight group, known as a winter cluster, with the queen at the center. The bees on the outer edges of the cluster insulate those within, and they periodically switch places to ensure everyone stays warm. Worker bees consume stored

Bumblebees can sting, but unlike honeybees, they don’t lose their stinger and die after stinging. They are generally less aggressive and more likely to sting when provoked. Their stingers lack barbs, allowing them to sting multiple times if necessary. Nonetheless, bumblebees usually sting only in defense of themselves or their nest. Despite being generally harmless,

Yes, bees can engage in fights with each other, primarily when defending their hive against intruders, including bees from other colonies. Such conflicts are a part of their natural behavior to protect their resources and queen. For instance, guard bees at the hive entrance are known to challenge and fight off bees from other hives

Bees stop collecting pollen as temperatures drop, usually in late fall, when flowers become scarce. They rely instead on stored honey and pollen in the hive to survive through winter, resuming their foraging activities in spring as temperatures rise and flowers bloom again. A healthy, averaged-sized bee colony is likely to bring in around a