15 Fascinating Facts About Honey Bees

No other insect serves human needs like the honey bee. For centuries, beekeepers have raised honey bees, harvesting the sweet honey they produce and relying on them to pollinate crops. Honey bees pollinate an estimated one-third of all the food crops we consume. Here are 15 facts about honey bees you might not know.

1. Honey Bees Can Fly Up to 15 Miles per Hour

Fifteen miles per hour might seem fast, but in the bug world, it's actually rather slow. Honey bees are built for short trips from flower to flower, not for long-distance hauls. Their tiny wings must flap 12,000 to 15,000 times per minute just to keep their pollen-laden bodies aloft for the flight home.

2. A Colony Can Contain Up to 60,000 Bees

It takes a lot of bees to get all the work done, from 20,000 to 60,000, in fact. Nurse bees care for the young, while the queen's attendant workers bathe and feed her. Guard bees stand watch at the door. Construction workers build the beeswax foundation in which the queen lays eggs and the workers store honey. Undertakers carry the dead from the hive. Foragers must bring back enough pollen and nectar to feed the entire community.

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