In memory of Gizzy, my little boy with the fly-away ears. He was my inspiration, my muse and my best friend on four legs.
Gizzy in Heaven!
I love you forever and ever, Amen!
Followers
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Amazing Honey Bee Facts
"Unique among all God's creatures, only the honey bee improves the environment and preys not on any other species." ~ Royden Brown DID YOU KNOW? (you can see this blog better if you use your zoom feature on your computer on the lower right hand side? - I didn't!) * The honey bee has been around for about 30 million years**see NOTE: **NOTE: (Apis mellifera L.) preceded humans on earth by 10 to 20 million years. Honey bees are one of the oldest forms of animal life still in existence from the Neolithic Age. Primeval humans gathered and ate the honey and honeycombs of wild bees, the only available sweet, as far back as 7000 B.C. * It is the only insect that produces food eaten by man. * Honey bees have 6 legs, 4 wings and 5 eyes (see bee anatomy drawing) * Only worker bees sting, and only if they feel threatened and they die once they sting. All worker bees are sterile females. The male bees are called drones. They have no stinger and their only function is to mate with the queen. They die after mating. Queen bees have stingers, but do not go outside to defend the hive; only the queen lays eggs. * It is estimated that 1100 honey bee stings are required to be fatal. * Honey bees clock over 55,000 frequent flyer miles and drop in on about 2 million plants in order to produce one pound of honey - all that time and effort to make 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey per bee, per bee lifetime. * Honey bees communicate with one another by "dancing" (see video below) * Bees fly an average of 13-15 mph. * Worker honey bees live for about 4 weeks in the spring or summer, but up to 6 weeks during the winter. * The queen bee lives for about 2-3 years and is the only bee that lays eggs. * Fermented honey, known as Mead, is the most ancient fermented beverage. The term "honey moon" originated with the Norse practise of consuming large quantities of Mead during the first month of a marriage. A THOUGHT TO PONDER: "If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live" ~ Albert Einstein Here is a partial list of tried-and-true bee attractors: ANNUALS Buttercups, Clematis, Cosomos, Dahlias, Enchinacea, English Ivy, Foxglove, Geranium, Hollyhocks, Hyacinth, Roses PERENNIALS Aster, Clover, Crocus, Marigolds, Poppies, Snowdrops, Sunflowers, Zinnias GARDEN PLANTS Blackberries, Cantaloupe, Cucumbers, Gourds, Peppers, Pumpkins, Raspberries, Squash, Strawberries, Watermelons, Wild Garlic HERBS Bee Balm, Borage, Catnip, Coriander/Cilantro, Fennel, Lavender, Mints, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme BUSHES Blueberry, Butterfly Bush, Button Bush, Honeysuckle, Indigo, Privet TREES Alder, American Holly, Basswood, Black Gum, Black Locust, Buckeyes, Catalpa, Eastern Redbud, Fruit Trees (especially Crabapples, Golden Rain Tree, Hawthorns, Hazels, Linden, Magnolia, Maples, Mountain Ash, Sycamore, Tulip, Tupelo, Poplar, Willows Although Utah enjoys the title "The Beehive State," the top honey-producing states include California, Florida, and South Dakota. In 1998, the United States made over 89,000 metric tons of honey. China, the world's top honey-producer, created more than 140,000 metric tons of honey in 1997. For your amusement, I am adding an entertaining little movie clip called "Green Porno" where Isabella Rossellini portrays a honeybee and explains how they live. You can watch her impersonate other insects here: The Sundance Channel You can find more bee related information here: American Beekeeping Federation
"Unique among all God's creatures, only the honey bee improves the environment and preys not on any other species." ~ Royden Brown DID YOU KNOW? (you can see this blog better if you use your zoom feature on your computer on the lower right hand side? - I didn't!) * The honey bee has been around for about 30 million years**see NOTE: **NOTE: (Apis mellifera L.) preceded humans on earth by 10 to 20 million years. Honey bees are one of the oldest forms of animal life still in existence from the Neolithic Age. Primeval humans gathered and ate the honey and honeycombs of wild bees, the only available sweet, as far back as 7000 B.C. * It is the only insect that produces food eaten by man. * Honey bees have 6 legs, 4 wings and 5 eyes (see bee anatomy drawing) 
* Only worker bees sting, and only if they feel threatened and they die once they sting. All worker bees are sterile females. The male bees are called drones. They have no stinger and their only function is to mate with the queen. They die after mating. Queen bees have stingers, but do not go outside to defend the hive; only the queen lays eggs. * It is estimated that 1100 honey bee stings are required to be fatal. * Honey bees clock over 55,000 frequent flyer miles and drop in on about 2 million plants in order to produce one pound of honey - all that time and effort to make 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey per bee, per bee lifetime. * Honey bees communicate with one another by "dancing" (see video below) * Bees fly an average of 13-15 mph. * Worker honey bees live for about 4 weeks in the spring or summer, but up to 6 weeks during the winter. * The queen bee lives for about 2-3 years and is the only bee that lays eggs. * Fermented honey, known as Mead, is the most ancient fermented beverage. The term "honey moon" originated with the Norse practise of consuming large quantities of Mead during the first month of a marriage. 
A THOUGHT TO PONDER: "If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live" ~ Albert Einstein Here is a partial list of tried-and-true bee attractors: ANNUALS Buttercups, Clematis, Cosomos, Dahlias, Enchinacea, English Ivy, Foxglove, Geranium, Hollyhocks, Hyacinth, Roses PERENNIALS Aster, Clover, Crocus, Marigolds, Poppies, Snowdrops, Sunflowers, Zinnias GARDEN PLANTS Blackberries, Cantaloupe, Cucumbers, Gourds, Peppers, Pumpkins, Raspberries, Squash, Strawberries, Watermelons, Wild Garlic HERBS Bee Balm, Borage, Catnip, Coriander/Cilantro, Fennel, Lavender, Mints, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme BUSHES Blueberry, Butterfly Bush, Button Bush, Honeysuckle, Indigo, Privet TREES Alder, American Holly, Basswood, Black Gum, Black Locust, Buckeyes, Catalpa, Eastern Redbud, Fruit Trees (especially Crabapples, Golden Rain Tree, Hawthorns, Hazels, Linden, Magnolia, Maples, Mountain Ash, Sycamore, Tulip, Tupelo, Poplar, Willows 
Although Utah enjoys the title "The Beehive State," the top honey-producing states include California, Florida, and South Dakota. In 1998, the United States made over 89,000 metric tons of honey. China, the world's top honey-producer, created more than 140,000 metric tons of honey in 1997. 
For your amusement, I am adding an entertaining little movie clip called "Green Porno" where Isabella Rossellini portrays a honeybee and explains how they live. You can watch her impersonate other insects here: The Sundance Channel You can find more bee related information here: American Beekeeping Federation
No comments:
Post a Comment