“Aerodynamically, the bumblebee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumble bee doesn't know it so it goes on flying anyway.” (Mary Kay Ash)

There are about 20,000 different species of bees in the world. Bees make honey to feed their young and so they have something to eat during the winter. Killer bees have been known to chase people for over a 1/4 mile once they get excited and aggressive. Beekeepers use smoke to calm bees when they are collecting honey or relocating a hive.

Bees live in colonies that contain the queen bee, the worker bee and the drone. The worker bee and the queen bee are both female, but only the queen bee can reproduce. All drones are male. Worker bees clean the hive, collecting pollen and nectar to feed the colony and they take care of the offspring. The drone’s only job is to mate with the queen. The queen’s only job is to lay eggs.

Bees store their venom in a sac attached to their stinger and only female bee’s sting. That is because the stinger, called an ovipositor, is part of the female bee’s reproductive design. A queen bee uses her ovipositor to lay eggs as well as sting.

Bees communicate with each other, and are extremely social creatures. They make sure that our flowers are pollinated to produce more flowers. All bees are an important part of the food system, and need to be protected. The species of bumblebee and honeybee are a miracle of nature. What makes them different from each other?

Honeybees are generally tan and yellow with a smooth appearance. They are slender in body appearance, have fewer body hairs and wings that are more translucent. The tip of their abdomen is more pointed. Honeybees can sting only once as their stinger is barbed and comes out after stinging.

The tip of honeybees abdomen is more pointed. The honeybee queen and her offspring live in the hive year round. The queen may survive for three or more years. Honeybees typically make their nest above ground in sheltered locations. Honeybee nests may number into the tens of thousands.

Bumblebees are black and fuzzy with either yellow or orange markings. They are much larger than honeybees. The bumblebee has a smooth stinger and can sting multiple times

Bumblebees are robust, large in girth, have more hairs on their body and are colored with yellow, orange and black. Their wings can be easily seen since they are darkish in color. The tip of their abdomen is rounded.

The bumblebee queen lives for one year and overwinters at the nest site. Other members live for only a few months. Bumblebees typically make their nest underground, but some species will nest above ground.

“If honeybees become extinct, human society will follow in four years.” (Albert Einstein)[i]

[i] Sources used:

· “Bee Information for Kids: Bumblebee & Honey Bee Facts” by Pest World for Kids