A dying bee may have tattered wings and can be seen writhing on the ground. A tired bee, on the other hand, may appear slower and more lethargic but will still have intact wings and respond to external stimuli. *Important tip – If you’re not sure if your bee is dying or tired the best …
There are a tonne of books about bees available if you’re interested in learning more and reading about them. These books cover everything from their biology and behaviours to the dangers they face and how we can protect them. Understanding bee behaviours and the difficulties they experience is fundamental to our survival because bees are …
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As a website focused on providing valuable information about the natural world, we often receive questions about the relationship between bees and flowers and one that always comes up is ‘do bees kill flowers when they collect nectar and pollen?’. No, bees do not kill flowers. In fact, bees are really important pollinators for flowers, …
Bees face a number of natural predators in their nests and on their foraging trips. From birds and mammals to insects and arachnids there’s really no end to the potential dangers and predators that bees might come across. As gardeners and nature enthusiasts, it’s fascinating to understand the complex relationships between bees and their predators …
Bees are essential pollinators that play a crucial role in maintaining our ecosystem’s balance but they aren’t free from danger. Unfortunately, these fuzzy flyers are also a favourite food of many predatory insects. While it may seem unfair, the truth is that insects eating other insects is just a part of nature’s cycle and that …
If you’re a beekeeper, you probably know your bees are vulnerable to diseases and pests. Part of keeping them healthy and productive is quickly identifying the most common bee illnesses and taking preventive measures to protect your hives and colonies. Let’s take a look at the most frequent diseases affecting honeybees (apis mellifera) today and …
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Do you want to make sure your garden is thriving? Are you looking for natural, sustainable ways to help it flourish? Then it’s time to look into the amazing benefits of bee pollination. From creating stronger and healthy plants to providing essential nutrients in the soil. Not only that, but you’ll be playing an important …
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This rather small species of bumblebee can be found in a wide range of habitats across the United Kingdom. Appearance The heath bumblebee is characterised by its distinctive yellow collar, yellow-banded abdomen and pure white tail. It has a small, short, rounded face that’s as long as it is wide. Apart from its smaller size …
The Bombus hortorum, also known as the garden bumblebee, is a species of bumblebee that is native to Europe. These bees are important pollinators for a variety of plants, including fruits and vegetables, and are known for their distinctive yellow and black striped pattern. They’re considered as one of the ‘big 7’, one of seven …
There are approximately 250 different species of bumblebees across the world with varying sizes, colours and patterns and they can be found in every country except Australia and Antarctica. With so many different species of bumblebee in the genus Bombus, it’s often hard to tell which species you’re observing. We’ve detailed some of the most …
The leafcutter or leafcutting bee is a fascinating species of bee belonging to the genus Megachile which also includes resin bees and mason bees. *This subset belongs to the much larger Megachilidae cosmopolitan family made up of solitary species. Leafcutter bees have gained their name due to their very unique behaviour of leaf cutting. This …
Bees are a crucial part of our ecosystem. They pollinate our crops and wild plants, which helps keep the environment healthy and provides a wide range of habitats for other insects and nails. Bees also produce honey used by humans as a food source and for a range of medicinal purposes. Let’s take a deep …
We love all insects here at Revive a Bee so we wanted to make a list of some of the best bug hotels to bring your garden to life and help a wide variety of bugs and insects find their new homes. A bug hotel is a predominantly wooden structure that acts as a residence …
Bees are one of the most important pollinators in the world, but they’re also often misunderstood. Bees live in colonies, and each colony has a different life cycle. Honeybees, bumblebees and solitary bees all have their own ingenious methods and techniques for surviving a chilly winter. So how do bees survive a long winter without …
Have you ever observed honeybees wiggling their bums in a form of a strange dance-like motion and wondered what they’re doing and why? Well look no further, we’ve gone ahead and found out exactly why bees wiggle their bums and the myriad of reasons they might do it. Let’s take a closer look at our …
While beekeepers’ primary focus is the care and well-being of their colonies and hives there is the matter of actually making honey. There’s a common misconception that beekeepers have a building or room dedicated to harvesting honey. This is actually false, as most amateur beekeepers harvest and process their honey in their own home kitchens …
Have you ever stopped to think, what do bees do at night? Everyone knows that the main job of most bees is to collect pollen during the warm daylight hours but where do bees go at night and what do they do? Only thanks to a study conducted back in the 80s do we know …
Found a bee that can’t fly? Don’t worry we’ve got you and your furry friend covered with our helpful guide on how to help a bee that can’t fly. Bees fly directly from their hives and nests either to forage for resources or to mate and reproduce. Grounded bees can be a sign of a …
Stingless bees are a large group of species all comprised within the tribe Meliponini of the greater Apidae family and are often referred to as stingless honeybees. Stingless bees are eusocial just like honeybees meaning they display a high level of social intelligence displayed by females raising young with the support and cooperation of non-reproductive …
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Yes, many species of bumblebee and some solitary bees will hibernate in the ground over winter. They rely on fat stored over the summer months to ensure their survival through to their emergence in early spring. Winter is a challenging time for bees and with the changeable temperatures, we seem to be experiencing bees are …
Killing a queen wasp is unlikely to destroy her colony during the later months of Summer. Killing a queen wasp in early Spring can lead to a colony collapse due to her responsibility for feeding the young worker larvae. Much like some bee species, wasps have a matriarch that rules over the nest ensuring its …
Yes, bees can and will sting you through your clothes. You will be stung more easily through tight-fitting clothes or clothing items with very thin material. Thick, baggy clothing is the best way to avoid getting stung by bees. How do bees sting you through your clothes? Honeybees have evolved for thousands of years and …
Yes, bees can fart just like humans! Honeybees ingest pollen which is passed down into their honey stomachs and middle gut to be digested. Digested matter travels to the hindgut to be expelled as excrement, any air present in the fecal matter at the time of expulsion will become a bee fart. How do bees …
Yes, very hot light bulbs or light fixtures will kill bees on impact. Bees are attracted to light much like other flying insects via an innate positive phototactic response. This response increases considerably as the bee reaches maturity. The short video below shows the extreme reaction bees have to sources of light: Why are bees …
Yes, bees are attracted to the mineral and salt content of urine because their floral diet lacks these two key ingredients. Soiled water or urine can act as a nutritional supplement for bees providing well-needed vitamins. This process is called Mud Puddling, relating to any insect that uses waste moisture to gain amino acids, vitamins, …
Mason bee or in some cases mortar bee is the commonly used name for the bee species Osmia of the family Megachilidae. Bees included under the mason bee genus are the horn faced bee, the blueberry bee, the red mason bee and the orchard mason bee. What do they look like? They are typically shades …
Bees are normally calculated foragers with a unified goal and a strict schedule. So why are some of the hive’s inhabitants bumping into trees, getting lost, walking around in circles or simply unable to fly, why do bees act drunk? Bees really are drunk To put it simply they’re plastered, smashed, paralytic or any other …
A healthy honeybee colony can have as many as 50,000-60,000 individuals and in 2017 the UK government estimated the number of hives at 247,000. That means there could be as many as 1.23 million honeybees in the UK, however, the number is likely to be much less than this. The fate of British bees is …
You have probably heard the phrase ‘busy as a bee’ and this comes directly from the intricate and fast-paced lives of a bee colony. The inner workings of a bee hive are key to bee survival and it can make or break a colony. Conditions need to be just right to support the entire colony, …
Bees are famous for producing honey, but they also produce and build with honeycomb. Not all bees produce honey so which species do? How do bees make honeycomb? What is the purpose of honeycomb? Keep reading to learn the answer to these questions and more! What Is Honeycomb? Honeycomb is a natural product produced by …
Springtime is marked by the arrival of bees, wasps and butterflies. Many people find these critters annoying or even frightening, but they play a vital role in the health of their ecosystem and also in the success of the world’s food production Bees are pollinators, meaning many crops rely on them for fertilisation. Without bees, …
Nobody likes being caught out by rain, but for bees, a downpour is potentially life-threatening. Bees are capable of short flights during a light drizzle of rain, but a heavier rain shower is a definite problem. Therefore, it is important that you know how to save a drowning or wet bee. Bees have very fine …
The carpenter bee is one of over 220 solitary bee species in the UK. They are so-called thanks to their nesting behaviours; carpenter bees burrow into softwood to lay their eggs. Unfortunately, as humans expand into rural areas, carpenter bees are more frequently building their nests in the sidings of homes and this can cause …
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When you find a tired bee in your home, it’s probably exhausted from flying around looking for nectar and pollen all day. If so, you’re probably wondering what to feed a bee? Feed the poor insect with a fresh sugar water solution to give them their strength back! To make this simple solution for an …
Honeybee History Honeybee species first appeared during the Cretaceous period, which began approximately 450 million years ago and ended 60 million years ago. At that time, the layout of the world was vastly different, as were honeybees and their habitat. Australia, India, Antarctica, Africa and South America were one large supercontinent called Gondwana. The climate …
Everyone knows that bee season starts in spring, but the action really ramps up in early summer. What do bees do in summer that they can’t do the rest of the year? Quite a bit! Everything from climate control to nest maintenance, food production, and caring for young, summer is the busiest time of year …
The Lifecycle of the Honeybee Whether you are just starting out as a beekeeper or you are simply interested to learn about these buzzing beauties, the lifecycle of the honeybee will certainly captivate your curiosity. In the beekeeping profession, bees are often referred to as castes. A caste is a group of individuals of the …
When we think about bees and what they symbolise, there are many different aspects of life to consider. Almost every part of our existence can be symbolic of a bee’s nature, the way they live or how they work. What a bee symbolises can have a profound effect on every part of our life, from …
We are very excited to announce that Revive a Bee is now crowdfunding on Indiegogo! We want to expand our bee revival product offering by creating a gold and black version of our bee revival keyring. We’re aiming to raise £1000 in total, this is the perfect opportunity to purchase our black and gold keyrings …
We’ve created the A-Z of Bees and arranged them into cool flashcards! Did you ever have flashcards when you were a kid? Here at Revive a Bee we all have memories of playing different memory games with our parents. With so many different bee species and so much to learn about the environment we wanted …
The lost bees need our help! We’re celebrating this easter by giving away a huge 30% discount on your basket total. Sadly we haven’t had time to hide any eggs this year because we’ve been too busy looking for the lost bees. Can you help us find all the lost bees? Don’t worry, there is …
To save a grounded bee you can just create a simple sugar syrup at home using granulated sugar and tap water. Mix two parts of water to one part of granulated white sugar to create a sugar solution ideal for saving grounded bees that need a quick energy boost. Should I feed a grounded bee …
Habitat loss is a significant threat to bee populations worldwide, but how does it affect bees and their ability to thrive? From residential expansion to increases in agricultural productivity, thousands of bee species are suffering a population decline and hundreds are at risk of extinction. Understanding how habitat loss will affect bees is the key …
Solitary bees are vital to the ecosystem and are known to pollinate with incredible efficiency. Crop production benefits from the excellent cross-pollination abilities of solitary bees such as the red mason bee, certain types of plants are specialized to only be pollinated by certain bee species. Our gardens are often filled with honeybees and bumblebees, …
Before you can truly answer which insects are pollinators, you must first understand what pollinators are. What are pollinators? In short, a pollinator is any animal or insect that transfers pollen from the male anther to the female stigma of a flower/plant. This process of moving pollen between flowers allows plants to reproduce and is …
When you think of bees, you will probably immediately think of fuzzy bumblebees, their bums coated with pollen as they jump from flower to flower, or busy little honey bees carrying nectar back to the hive to make into that sweet syrup we all know and love. The mention of solitary bees seems to throw …
The world of bees and pollinators is complex and has a much bigger impact on our lives than most people realise, but bee populations all over the world are declining at an alarming rate. This leads us to the question ‘How much of our food supply do bees pollinate?’. In the UK there are 25 …
Have you ever wondered how bees mate and reproduce in such large numbers? Look no further, we’ve created a detailed guide to help you understand how common bee species increase their population. From queen honey bees and the drones they mate with to furrier varieties of bumblebees and their mating rituals, we’ll take a closer …
Summer has passed and Autumn is quickly turning into a chilly wet Winter in the UK. Bees of all species are taking shelter and sighting our little friends is becoming harder. If you do see a bee at this time of year chances are it could be a bit of a bother so I’ve compiled …
When we created Revive a Bee our goal was to make a bee revival kit that was not only great for humans but great for bees as well, which led us to Invertbee. We looked at the best possible solutions (no pun intended) to fill our thirst aid kits. The obvious option was the classic …
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