Why Bees Matter
Bee misinformation abounds now, just as it always did in the past. A bee lands suspiciously on or near you -- just what do you do? Do you swat? Do you scream and run inside? Do you just simply sweat it out and pray you don't get stung? Or do you smile and marvel at the infinite wisdom of Mother Nature and say to them, "Welcome. We need you."
There are those among us that even think that bees are harmful to plants and gardens. These are the misinformed, because a world without bees -- one we are rapidly approaching if mankind is not careful -- is going to be life altering for the majority of us, especially to our pockets.
Two honeybees on passion fruit flowers at the St. Louis Zoo.
Bees Are Not Harmful to Your Lovely Garden
The life career and very lives of bees is devoted to one cause -- storing up nectar to make honey. Visiting flower after flower they are constantly brushing against, first, the stamens (male plant organs) of one blossom and then the pistil (female plant organs) of another flower. from the former they pick up on their body or legs a sprinkling of pollen which they later carry to and deposit upon the stigma (sticky tip) of the second flower's pistil. Thing brings about the pollination or fertilization of the second flower and results in the development of seed or fruit. Without this miracle of nature mankind's diet would be sharply limited to say the least.
Given the numbers of ceaseless activity of bees -- both wild and domesticated -- the service they unintentionally render to the world becomes one of the most important factors in the production of good crops in orcharding, gardening, and the home garden. Just think, without bees we would not enjoy apples, tomatoes, cucumbers, melons (especially watermelons), pears, and on and on.
Two bees in a rose at Los Poblanos, New Mexico.
Honeybee Facts
When you consider the astounding honeybee fact that one pound of honey takes the nectar of 8.7 million flowers and combine it with the other mind boggling fact that honey bee hives produce on average seventy pounds of honey each week -- the old time saying: "busy as a bee," takes on a whole new set of dimensions.
Here are some other honeybee facts:
- Honeybees have their own language.
- Honeybees dance for their companions to indicate the location of food.
- Honeybee queens decide the sex of their eggs.
- Honeybee males (drones) have only one purpose in life (to mate).
- Female honeybees eventually kill the males.
- There are different races of honeybees and each has its own distinct dialect.
- Each honeybee species has its own unique disposition.
Eye On Life Magazine's Favorite Honey Beverage
Easy Spiced Honeybee Milk Cooler
Easy Spiced Honeybee Milk Cooler
Ingredients:
1 cup of milk
1 tablespoon of local honey
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of finely grated ginger
1/3 cup crushed ice
Instructions:
Place all ingredients in blender or Magic Bullet and mix thoroughly. Serve cold over the crushed ice. Makes one serving.