Did you know bees can save the planet?
Bees are part of the biodiversity on which we all depend for our survival. Bees transfer pollen between plants, allowing the seeds to grow.
“THERE are about 20 000 species of bees worldwide and only eight of these species are known to produce honey. Of the eight species that produce honey, there are 43 subspecies,” said Warren Dick.
Bees cannot handle cold weather very well, as soon as the temperature drops to below 10 degrees Celsius, they huddle in the middle of their hive, where they pack themselves around the queen bee. The worker bees vibrate which creates warmth. Through this, the workers are able to keep their queen at a pleasant 27 degrees Celsius.
The queen bee lays her eggs singly in a cell within a wax honeycomb and then chooses which eggs to fertilise. Unfertilised eggs develop into male bees (drones). The fertilised eggs become worker bees and queen bees.
When the eggs hatch, the larvae feed on royal jelly which is produced by worker bees and later on they feed on pollen and honey. When the female worker bees first emerge as adults, they are able to produce royal jelly through special glands called royal jelly glands, so their first job in the hive is as nurses, caring for and feeding the young bee larvae, and also cleaning the hive.
When their royal jelly glands dry up with age they move on to building honeycomb cells. As they get older, they progress to other tasks within the colony, such as receiving honey and nectar from forager bees, and guarding the hive. The last stage of a bees life is spent foraging for nectar and pollen.
When it comes to foraging for food, bees are able to communicate with elaborate dances and body movement to be able to tell other forager bees where the best food can be found.
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Why are there bees around my wild bird feeders?
“Each year in autumn and winter, I invariably get a few curious people asking me why they suddenly have bees hanging around their bird feeders, appearing to be feeding on the seeds, This can also be quite frustrating as birds will usually not want to visit a bird feeder if it’s full of bees. But, there is a very simple reason for the bees curious behaviour,” said Warren.
With the cooler temperatures there are far fewer flowering plants, and while bees are not very active on cool days, they do come out on warmer winter days, especially in Durban. When the bees come out they look for something to sustain them. While there is no substitute for flowers, bees can gain sugars from cracked corn and shelled sunflower seeds, which helps sustain them through the winter months.
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How can you help the bees through this difficult time and keep them away from the bird feeder?
Provide the bees with a small dish of good quality honey to feed on instead of the bird seed. Also give a shallow dish of water for them to drink from. Stop giving honey in spring.
“Bees are amazing creatures that deserve help, after all, if they become extinct, so will we. They are facing many immense pressures in recent years, meaning their numbers have gone down drastically. Plant flowers and don’t kill bees. If you do encounter a hive on your property and you cannot leave it be, call a local bee remover to help relocate them,” said Warren.
Contact Warren on 072 211 0353 to have some of your interesting insects, snakes or spiders identified. Visit his Facebook page, Warren’s Small World
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