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 belongs to the much larger Megachilidae cosmopolitan family made up of solitary bee species. Leafcutter bees have gained their name due to their ability to cut out leaves and petals from plants …
If you’re a beekeeper in the UK you’re probably considering how to manage your colonies over winter. A healthy honeybee colony should be able to produce all of the honey stores it needs for the colder months without any human intervention. However, weather conditions and external factors like parasites can lead to your bees not …
If you have eczema, it can be difficult to find a moisturizer that works for you and doesn’t aggravate your condition. Enter beeswax, the perfect solution to help treat and prevent dry skin for people with eczema. Let’s take a closer look at the intrinsic link between beeswax and eczema and how you can use …
The term mining bee refers to a group of bee species belonging to the genus Andrena. In the UK, there are 67 species of mining bee, including the tawny mining bee, ashy mining bee and Clarke’s mining bee. What Do Mining Bees Look Like? Identifying mining bees away from their nests can be tricky. With …
A seed bomb is a clay ball that has seeds and compost in it. You can throw them on your lawn or in a garden to start growing plants. Wildflower seed bombs are made from a variety of things, but typically include clay, compost and wildflower seeds. It’s an easy way to get started with …
If you’ve ever found yourself in a situation where you’re eating honeycomb and wondering, is this actually doing me any good? I’m here to tell you that it’s both delicious and good for you. Not only are the tiny hexagonal cells full of delicious golden goodness, but they also have serious health benefits. Due to …
We’re mad about bees here at Revive a Bee! With awareness around bees increasing every year we’re seeing more and more people start to incorporate bees in their clothes, home decor and even wallpaper! With all this buzz about bees, we wanted to share some of our favourite bee products and what we love about …
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 …
The early bumblebee sometimes referred to as the early-nesting bumblebee, Latin name Bombus pratorum is a widely spread species visible in many areas across the UK. This relatively small species of bumblebee gains its name for being one of the first bumblebees to appear in early spring, feasting on early blooming flower varieties. What do …
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 …
Beekeeping has had somewhat of a renaissance in recent years. Raising awareness around bees has led people to investigate and take up this fascinating hobby in droves. As with all hobbies getting started can be a bit daunting and it often feels like there isn’t enough room in your brain to digest all the lessons, …
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 …
We all see bees when we’re out in the garden or going for a walk. While these furry little flying creatures buzz around so fast it’s hard to see what they’re actually doing, but thanks to science we now have a much better understanding of bees and how they behave. Bees are flying insects and …
You’re in the supermarket and you happen to be wandering down the spreads and jams aisle, the honey section greets you like a candy store, with images of bees flitting between hives, flowers blowing in the wind and happy beekeepers leaning on rustic hives. But all is not well, marketing has well and truly infiltrated …
One of the best things about summer is that you can stock up on local honey. And one of the best ways to store your local honey is by freezing it. But does freezing your honey actually work, can you freeze honey? We’ll walk you through everything you need to know about freezing your favourite …
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 …
The Tree bumblebee, Latin name Bombus hypnorum of the genus Bombus is a species of bumblebee present across parts of Europe and Asia. Despite its fast spread across mainland Europe and the UK this species is still not currently found in the Mediterranean or large swathes of Eastern Europe. What do Tree bumblebees look like? …
The White-tailed bumblebee, Latin name Bombus lucorum is a species of bumblebee common across the United Kingdom and Europe. The term White-tailed bumblebee is a cover-all for three species of bumblebee with nearly indistinguishable characteristics. These three taxa are: B. lucorum – White-tailed bumblebee Bombus magnus – Northern white-tailed bumblebee Bombus cryptarum – Cryptic bumblebee …
As we head towards colder months and the temperatures begin to drop the amount of insect activity in your garden or wild area starts to dwindle. Bees set about preparing themselves for winter by huddling in nests or seeking cosy, protected spots to hibernate. But what about their slightly less popular counterpart the wasp, where …
It’s early June here in the UK and wasps are already visiting picnics and pub lunches. While individual wasps are really no more than just a nuisance an entire nest is a different story, particularly if it’s located on your property. Wasps’ nests can house up to 10,000 wasps in extreme cases, while these concentrations …
When do wasps die off and what happens to the nest? Read More »
Yes, if bees are unable to leave the hive to collect water they are at risk of overheating. Signs of overheating include bearding (huddling in large numbers outside the hive), increase activity to collect and deposit water in the hive or in extreme cases melting honey and wax. Keeping bees in warmer climates comes with …
Bees spend their days busily buzzing from flower to flower collecting resources to take back to the nest or hive. They use a range of techniques to quickly identify potential sources of pollen and nectar, land and extract the precious prize. When it comes to flowers and bees, not all flowers are equal, some will …
8 of the best bee friendly flowers for your UK garden Read More »
No, while it might look like bees are eating wood, they are actually carpenter bees using their large mandibles to tunnel inside, create a nest, and do not actually ingest any of the wood extracted during this process. These holes are typically ½-inch in diameter and perfectly rounded. This ingenious technique allows the bee to …
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 …
No, bees do not eat caterpillars. Wasps and hornets regularly predate on caterpillars and can often be mistaken for bees. Bees species excluding the Vulture bee feed on a predominantly pollen and nectar diet. This can lead to close encounters with many other insects present in the stems, leaves and flowers of plants. As a …
Despite their name, stingless bees or meliponines are equipped with powerful mandibles to bite intruders alongside injecting a painful formic acid. Stingless bees will also use a sticky resin to actively stick intruders to the floor with some species forming a soldier caste solely to dispatch intruders. Unlike honeybees, stingless bees have vestigial (atrophied) stingers …
Hey, we’re Ed and Paul, creators of Revive a Bee – we want to help you, help bees! Revive a Bee was created by two lifelong friends with a passion for the environment and the dream of a better future. We’re on a mission to promote the plight of all bees (not just honeybees) globally. …
Yes, while bees aren’t attracted to blood in particular they are often observed drinking foul liquids including blood due to the minerals contained within. Many beekeepers operate on working farms and there have been many reports of bees investigating and drinking spilt blood from farm animals. This extends to other bodily fluids as well, believe …
Yes, bees will happily take flight on damp days but flying in the rain for long periods or during severe rains can be dangerous for bees. Bumblebees are more likely to forage during rainy days than other species like the honeybee that will opt to stay inside the hive during precipitation. So how do bees …
Yes, a range of bee species eat dandelions including honeybees, bumblebees and solitary bees. Dandelions have been somewhat demonised as the bane of lawns all across the world. This tiny little weed actually provides a fantastic food source for the wildlife in your garden. Dandelions, Latin name (Taraxacum officinale) are championed as one of the …
Yes, bananas contain natural sugars that bees are attracted to, however, bananas contain a compound that also occurs naturally in alarm pheromones released by bees. Feeding a banana to a managed hive or consuming a banana close to a hive can insight an aggressive reaction due to the similarity in these compounds. When it comes …
Beekeeping suits provide full-body protection from stings, beekeeping jackets cover your torso and arms with a normally detachable hoof that fastens onto the collar of the jacket. Both will stop the majority of stings but are not 100% sting-proof. Beginning your journey as a beekeeper can be a daunting task. Selecting the right hives, the …
Beekeeping suits vs beekeeping jackets, what’s best for you? Read More »
Staying sting-free while managing your hives is key to making beekeeping a pleasurable experience. Beginner and amateur beekeepers are more likely to get stung as they familiarise themselves with how bees behave and act. We’d all love docile colonies that happily let us extract honey without lifting a wing but unfortunately, this isn’t always the …
Looking for the perfect bumblebee themed gift for a friend or loved one? We’ve got you covered with our extensive list of bumblebee gifts for every budget and occasion. Bumblebee gifts Here’s our carefully selected range of unique, thoughtful gifts for the bumblebee lover in your life! A super-soft bumblebee blanket perfect for snuggling on …
Picking the right bee smoker for your hives is really important. If you’re anything like us your bees are like your family and making sure you care for them properly is vital. We’ve created a list of the best bee smokers available in the UK today. Best UK Bee Smokers We’ve personally tested the first …
To revive a tired bee you can simply mix two tablespoons of tap water with a tablespoon of granulated white sugar, place the solution close to the bee using a teaspoon and allow it to drink. Never feed a bee honey and don’t try to force the bee to drink. How to revive a tired …
Yes, male bumblebees will emerge in early spring before any queens. They stake out territory and try to mate with any queens that enter while driving away any competing males that try to enter their domain. This territorial attitude extends only as far as other males within their species rather than humans. Carpenter bees are …
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 …
Bee bombs are small spheres created by mixing together soil, clay and a range of seeds. Bee bombs in particular focus on a range of seeds rich in nectar and pollen to try and provide resources for bees and other pollinators. Bee bombs, often referred to as seed bombs or bee balls have become very …
No, most bees consume a plant-based diet consisting of pollen and nectar. Certain species of stingless bees have been observed feeding on the flesh of dead animals but have not been observed consuming other insects like butterflies. Bees and butterflies both fall under the order Lepidoptera which means ‘scaled wing’ in Latin. Both of these …
No, while it might seem like bees are eating aphids (often referred to as black flies or green flies) they’re actually feeding on the sugary waste excretions produced by Aphids while feeding on tree sap. This excretion is known as ‘honeydew’. It’s a common misconception that bees are a natural form of pest control for …
No, most bees have a plant-based diet rich in pollen and nectar. Some species of stingless bees have been observed feeding on the flesh of dead animals but their diet does not extend to living insects like ants. The opposite is very much true of ants with honey, honeycomb, and even protein-rich young larvae on …
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 …
Everything You Need To Know About The Stingless Bee Read More »
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 …
Bumblebees use sight and smell to identify potential new foraging locations. This means they will often hover just above the heads of flowers assessing the viability of each flower. Male bumblebees can be very territorial and will often hover in one spot waiting for a female bumblebee to emerge so he can mate. Male carpenter …
