On a bright morning in the spring, the diligent forager bee sets out, soaring in search of nectar, pollen, propolis, and even water. It flies swiftly, reaching speeds of up to 65 kilometers per hour, fully aware that time is precious and should not be wasted. It only visits flowers that contain an ample quantity of nectar and have the highest concentration of sugars. It avoids landing on plants with sugar content typically below 15% our bee friend possesses remarkable olfactory and gustatory senses, coupled with a unique intelligence. The ratio of its brain to body weight is 1/174, making it one of the smartest insects alive. The bee’s brain functions in a way similar to that of the most intelligent animals. Following closely in intelligence is the ant, with a brain-to-body weight ratio of 1/286. Bee species, like other living organisms, exhibit variations in intelligence. The smarter the bee, the farther it can fly to obtain nectar. The bee’s ability to remember the surroundings of its colony’s location is linked to its level of intelligence. Nonetheless, the bee does not venture far if food is nearby because, well, it’s smart!
She moves from one flower to another, delicately sipping the sweet nectar through its proboscis. The nectar’s moisture content ranges from 40% to 80%. It enters a special honey stomach called honey crop. As the bee travels between the flowers and returns to the hive, she never wastes a moment. She immediately begins the initial process of transforming the nectar into honey. She evaporates the water from the nectar and secretes enzymes and substances that scientists know little about. Her hind legs function as baskets, transporting pollen grains. On average, the weight of her pollen load reaches 20 milligrams, containing a staggering 4 million pollen grains! This is what makes the bee one of the greatest and most crucial pollinators for plants.
In a single journey, the bee carries nectar and pollen, amounting to up to 85% of her body weight. Yet, remarkably, she is still capable of flying at speeds reaching 30 kilometers per hour.
The duration of this journey is about, 30 to 150 minutes, depending on the abundance of nectar and its distance from the hive. When she begins her return trip, laden with nectar or pollen, or both, as she nears the hive, the bee precisely recognizes its location through the pheromones released by the receptor-bees using their location-determining apparatus, known as (Nasanov gland). The bee lands at the entrance of the hive, where the colony’s guards are stationed. Once her identity and affiliation to the colony are verified via the pheromones emitted by the Nasonov gland, the bee is allowed to enter the hive. She deposits a portion of the nectar load to inform her eager colleagues about the floral source she has brought the nectar from to test its sugar concentration. Our bee friend then performs her instructive waggle dance to communicate to her sisters about the abundance of nectar, the distance, and the direction between the hive and the floral source. Based on the waggle dance, the direction of the journey to the flower location is determined. If the bee waggles her dance upward, the food is located in the direction of the sun on the horizon. If she waggles her dance downward, the food is in the opposite direction of the sun on the horizon. The duration of the dance and the number of cycles determines the distance.
Then the bee hands over the droplet of nectar to her worker sisters, who promptly carry it to a suitable hexagonal cell. The receiving bee flips it between 120 to 240 times evaporating moisture and secreting enzymes and other unique substances in order to transform it into raw honey. This process repeats itself with every droplet of nectar that reaches the hive, filling the hexagonal cell until the nectar matures into raw honey. The moisture content in the honey does not exceed 20% at that point. Only then does the bee seal the hexagonal cell with a wax cap, preserving the honey for as long as possible. Obtaining honey is nothing short of a miraculous source of nourishment and healing.
As for the pollen, the worker bees collect it and mix it with nectar along with their enzyme-rich saliva. They store it in the hexagonal cells to form some primary food source, rich in proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients. This compound is known as “bee bread.” Bee bread provides the bees with the energy and vitality they need for nourishment, strength, and activity.
Our bee friend rests for only about five minutes after this journey, consuming approximately one-third of the nectar that she has gathered to replenish her strength and continue to work. Then she returns to fly again in repetitive journeys throughout her life. She returns to the hive every day before dusk to spend the night, preparing herself for the next day’s journey. On average, she makes around 10 daily outings.
The bees need to visit 10,000,000 (ten million) flowers to produce just 1 one kilogram of honey. This means they travel a distance of approximately 360,000 to 400,000 kilometers to accomplish this feat, which is equivalent to circling the Earth 8.5 to 11 times along the equator to produce each kg of honey.
Save The Bees… Save The Planet
BARARI… The Joy Of Nature