BEE info - Childrens book info help again...

[VixS]

Hello again,

Firstly, thank you for your previous help on giving me ideas for Childrens book...

Now I am in need of some specific info on Bees.

I have searched the web (probably asking the wrong question) but what I want to know is DO BEES FLY ALONE OR IN GROUPS WHEN COLLECTING NECTAR?

I have discovered that bees swarm to reproduce and to collonate new hives
I have discovered that a bee will fly away to die alone so as not to affect the hive.

But I still cannot see any information as to whether they are solitary creatures beyond the colony.

Your help as always is very much appreciated!

Thanx
Vix

[Geoff F]

But what type of bee? There are social bees that live in large colonies and solitary bees. And a lot somewhere in between.

Honey Bees have been studied in detail and it is known that workers, when returning to the hive, have ways of informing other workers about the source of good flowers, etc. Aparently it is a form of 'dance' and relates to the angle of the sun.

But I had better leave the rest to some of out Bee Experts.

[cybershot]

Look up the fascinating Waggle dance which a bee performs to indicate to the rest of the hive in which direction and how far a source of food is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waggle_dance

David

[squishy]

*calls for eucera*

like geoff said, there are different kinds of bees that behave in different ways

[eucera]

In the minds of most people the word "bee" means one thing - HONEY. In fact, the really important message to get across is bees = POLLINATION. The value of crop pollination by insects worldwide is estimated to be at about 153 BILLION Euros per annum. That is enough (almost) to provide a decent pension for a top banker. The value of honey is a mere bagatelle compared with the value of pollination service.

Whilst honey is made by bees; in Europe, there is only 1 species of bee that does this, The Honeybee, Apis mellifera. In UK we have about 265 species of bee, and globally, 19.3 THOUSAND species and only 9 species of honeybee.

The honeybee is very atypical as bees go because is is not only highly social, but the colonies are both perennial and long lived. It is the only European species that swarms... and lives in hives... and is managed by armies of amateur beekeepers.

I realise that this would take some explaining to youngsters but I implore you not to go down the bees = honey route. Check out bumblebees.... orchid bees in the tropics (eg Euglossa)... spectacular specialists like Rediviva in South Africa... and Megachile pluto in the Moluccas... and our own beautiful Andrenas, Mason-bees, Wool-carder bees and so on. There is much more to bees that the honeybee. Tell 'em something they won't get from anywhere else!

pm me if you need more information. I am really keen to get the message out

[VixS]

Thank you Eucera! That is exactly the feedback I need - I have gone down the honey and pollination route and included in there the reason for swarming. (I hope it is accurate)
The stories I write are done in rhyme so I have to be very precise with the small amount of info I put in but I do add a page of facts at the back.... would you mind if I used some of the facts you have stated here about the different kinds of bees etc?

But I am focussing on the honeybee for this particular story, so back to my original question - do they fly out alone to collect nectar?
(and then come back and waggle their finds?)



David - have you ever tried the honey beer 'Waggle dance' - it is really good!

Thank you again
Vix

xxx

[squishy]

told you eucera would know everything

glad to see you got the info you need

[eucera]

@squishy
I certainly don't know everything! I've only just begun!

At the risk of sounding like Donald Rumsfeld, I do, however, have some idea of the loads of things I know nothing about!

@VixS
Please quote any of the figures you like - they are all in the public domain and a matter of record

[squishy]

maybe not, but you seem to be one of the best bee experts on WAB

[cybershot]

Originally Posted by VixS

David - have you ever tried the honey beer 'Waggle dance' - it is really good!

Thank you again
Vix

xxx

I translated the antics of a bee in my garden yesterday and it gave me directions to our local Waitrose store - the beer was excellent!

David