No, while it might look like bees are eating wood, they are carpenter bees using their large mandibles to tunnel inside, create a nest, and not 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 raise her young …
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 in the 80s do we know the …
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 in the stems, leaves and flowers of plants. Generally, most bees …
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 …
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, many bee species eat dandelions, including honeybees, bumblebees and solitary bees. Dandelions have been somewhat demonised as the bane of lawns worldwide. This tiny little weed provides a fantastic food source for the wildlife in your garden. Dandelions, Latin name (Taraxacum officinale), are championed as one of the first flowers to provide a suitable …
Yes, bananas contain natural sugars that bees are attracted to. However, bananas contain a compound naturally occurring in alarm pheromones bees release. Feeding a banana to a managed hive or consuming a banana close to a hive can induce an aggressive reaction due to the similarity in these compounds. When it comes to bees and …
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 …
The Best Beekeeping Suits Available In The UK 2023 Read More »
Looking for the perfect bumblebee-themed gift for a friend or loved one? We’ve scoured the internet to create our extensive list for every budget and occasion. Let’s dive straight in with the best bumblebee gifts inspired by our furry, buzzing friends. Bumblebee Gifts For Any Occasion Here’s our carefully selected range of unique, thoughtful gifts …
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 bees honey and don’t try to force the bee to drink. How To Revive A Tired Bee …
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 true of ants, with honey, honeycomb, and even protein-rich young larvae on the menu …
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 …
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 …
Black and yellow stripes on insects often indicate one of two things. Either the insect is equipped with a toxic bite or sting or it will taste particularly unpleasant when consumed by predators. While not all bees are black and yellow there are several species that display black and yellow stripes to warn potential predators. …
Yes, bees are attracted to urine’s mineral and salt content because their floral diet lacks these two key ingredients. Soiled water or urine can be 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, and minerals. While …
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 Simply put, they’re plastered, smashed, paralytic or any other word you …
Unlike reptiles, bees are unable to regrow their wings after they’ve been lost or damaged. Due to the large populations of bee colonies and the speed they reproduce the need to regenerate wings and limbs never played a part in their evolution. Can you help a bee with lost or damaged wings? If you find …
Why do you find bees with no wings? We take a closer look at some of the reasons you might be finding bees with missing wings. Why am I finding bees without wings? The main reason you find bees with no wings is an RNA virus named Deformed wing virus, often called DWV. The Deformed …
Solitary Mason Bees are prolific pollinators, often doing the work of hundreds of honeybees with as little as 10-20 bees. Equipped with tiny Scopa hairs that transport pollen from flower to flower, Mason Bees flop from flower to flower in a chaotic fashion that is perfect for cross-pollination. Unlike Honeybees you don’t need equipment and …
Looking for the perfect ways to help bees? We’ve covered you with our list of the best bee hotels for your garden. Bee populations struggle due to several factors like habitat destruction, industrial farming, disease, and parasites, so it’s never been more important for us to do our part. When you install a bee hotel, …
The Best Bee Hotels For A Buzzing Garden In 2023 Read More »
Bees are wonderful creatures, a vital part of our ecosystem and the key to maintaining balance in the natural world. Unfortunately, continued human expansion is removing more green space every year and bee populations are declining. Thankfully, you can do something simple to help, by building your own bee hotel in your garden. When we …
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 …
Everything You Need To Know About The Carpenter Bee Read More »
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 …
Bee Boost Keyring is needed now more than ever. On Saturday the 20th of March we celebrated the 2021 spring equinox, which marks the first day of astronomical spring. It’s this time of year that bees need our help the most. Spring Blossom Watch – Give Bees a Boost The temperature is changing, the sun …
