Introduction to Bees

Bees are incredibly fascinating creatures, with a civilization that is 100 million years old and a complex society that includes hierarchy, professions, and collective decisions. Despite their impressive social structure, bees seem to be unaware of human existence. However, their disappearance would have significant consequences for humanity, as they play a crucial role in pollinating over a trillion flowers daily.

Bees by the Numbers

There are over 20,000 species of bees globally, which is more than the total number of mammal and bird species combined. Estimating the total number of individual bees is difficult due to scarce data, but it is estimated that there are between 1 and 6 trillion domesticated honeybees in the world, with an equal or higher number of wild honeybees. Assuming each of the 20,000 bee species has a population of 1 trillion individuals, the total weight of all bees would be approximately 2 billion tons.

Importance of Bees

Bees are essential for pollinating crops, with nearly 90% of wild plants and 75% of leading crops relying on pollination. Crops that are reliant on pollinators like bees are more valuable, and if bees were to disappear, humanity would likely starve to death within 4 years. Bees are also a source of food, with pollen and honey being rich in proteins and carbohydrates.

Bee Biology

Bees have a complex body structure, with three main parts: head, thorax, and abdomen. They have five eyes, including two large compound eyes and three small simple eyes, and two antennae with several segments. Bees also have a unique mechanism for flying, with four wings that beat at a rate of 200-250 times per second.

Bees’ Senses

Bees have a highly developed sense of vision, with the ability to see polarized light and navigate using the sun. They also have a keen sense of smell, with antennae that are highly sensitive to different scents. Bees can detect vibrations, temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide levels, and have taste sensors located in their throats, on their antennae, and even on their legs.

Bees’ Social Structure

Bees live in colonies with a single queen, who is the only full-fledged female and lays eggs throughout her life. The rest of the colony consists of thousands of worker bees, which are also females but with suppressed reproductive functions. Worker bees change professions multiple times during their lifespan, performing various tasks such as cleaning, feeding, and foraging.

Queen Bees

Queen bees are responsible for laying eggs and are the largest bees in the colony. They can live for up to 5 years and are replaced by the beekeeper or the hive itself if they become sick or injured. Queen bees determine the sex of their offspring by controlling fertilization, and can lay up to 2,000 eggs per day at the peak of the active season.

Worker Bees

Worker bees are the most hardworking creatures in the colony, embodying selflessness. They develop from egg to adult in 21 days and emerge weak, but are cared for by older bees. Worker bees start as janitors, cleaning honeycombs, and progress through various roles, including feeding older larvae and producing royal jelly.

Drones

Drones are male bees that emerge from unfertilized eggs and have no father. They are genetically identical to the queen and have a relatively easy life, eating more honey and bee bread than worker bees and flying for pleasure. However, their role is seemingly insignificant, and they are driven out of the colony by worker bees as winter approaches.

Bees’ Behavior

Bees are incredibly strong, able to lift 30-40 times their own weight, and can drag partially immobilized drones out of the nest. They communicate with each other through a complex dance called the waggle dance, which involves a combination of movements to convey information about direction and distance. Bees also have a unique mechanism for obtaining “citizenship” when a stray bee asks to join a family, and undergo an inspection by guard bees to determine their suitability.

Swarming

A bee colony prepares for swarming due to factors like overcrowding, and creates new queen cells. After the queen cells are sealed, the swarm exits the hive with a powerful buzz, clustering on a nearby object before flying off in a new direction to form a new colony. The swarm is led by an old queen, and scout bees search for a new location to establish a colony, considering factors like protection from weather and predators, and spaciousness.

Conclusion

Bees are fascinating creatures that play a crucial role in pollinating crops and maintaining the balance of nature. Their complex social structure, unique biology, and intriguing behavior make them one of the most interesting insects to study. However, their disappearance would have significant consequences for humanity, and it is essential to take steps to protect and conserve bee populations.

Key Vocabulary

Term	Definition	Example Usage
Colony	A group of bees living together in a hive with a single queen.	The colony of bees that lived in the hive was thriving under the care of the beekeeper.
Pollination	The process of transferring pollen from one plant to another, allowing for fertilization.	Bees play a crucial role in pollination, and their disappearance would have significant consequences for crop production.
Queen Bee	The largest bee in the colony, responsible for laying eggs and determining the sex of her offspring.	The queen bee was replaced by the beekeeper after she became sick and was no longer able to lay eggs.
Worker Bee	A female bee that performs various tasks within the colony, including cleaning, feeding, and foraging.	The worker bees were busy collecting nectar and pollen from the nearby flowers.
Drone	A male bee that emerges from an unfertilized egg and has no father.	The drones were driven out of the colony by the worker bees as winter approached.
Swarming	The process by which a bee colony prepares to leave the hive and establish a new colony.	The bee colony was swarming, and the beekeeper had to act quickly to prevent them from leaving the hive.
Waggle Dance	A complex dance performed by bees to communicate information about direction and distance.	The bees performed a waggle dance to inform their fellow bees of the location of a nearby food source.
Honeycomb	A structure made of wax produced by bees to store honey and pollen.	The bees were busy building a new honeycomb to store their honey and pollen.
Pollen	A fine powder produced by plants, collected by bees as a source of protein.	The bees collected pollen from the nearby flowers to bring back to the hive.
Honey	A sweet, viscous fluid produced by bees from the nectar of flowers.	The bees produced a large amount of honey, which was harvested by the beekeeper.

Watch The Video

A Civilization 100 Million Years Old

Vocabulary Quiz

1. Which word means ‘the process by which plants produce offspring with the help of bees and other pollinators’?

A) Hierarchy
B) Civilization
C) Pollination
D) Fertilization

2. What is the term for the dance that bees use to communicate with each other about direction and distance?

A) Waggle dance
B) Royal jelly dance
C) Honey dance
D) Swarm dance

3. Which part of a bee’s body is responsible for detecting different scents and is highly sensitive?

A) Compound eyes
B) Simple eyes
C) Antennae
D) Thorax

4. What is the term for the female bees that are responsible for laying eggs and are the largest bees in the colony?

A) Worker bees
B) Drones
C) Queen bees
D) Guard bees

5. What is the process by which a bee colony creates new queen cells and exits the hive to form a new colony?

A) Hibernation
B) Migration
C) Swarming
D) Foraging

Answer Key:

1. C
2. A
3. C
4. C
5. C

Grammar Focus

Grammar Focus: Conditional Sentences (Zero, First, Second, Third, and Mixed Conditionals)

Conditional sentences are used to express hypothetical or uncertain situations and their potential consequences. There are five types of conditional sentences: zero, first, second, third, and mixed conditionals. The zero conditional is used for universal truths and habits, e.g., “Bees pollinate flowers.” The first conditional is used for likely future situations, e.g., “If bees disappear, humanity will likely starve to death.” The second conditional is used for unlikely future situations, e.g., “If bees were to disappear tomorrow, humanity would face severe consequences.” The third conditional is used for past hypothetical situations, e.g., “If bees had disappeared 100 years ago, humanity would be facing severe food shortages today.” The mixed conditional is used for past hypothetical situations with present consequences, e.g., “If bees had been protected, they would be thriving today.” Understanding conditional sentences is crucial for expressing complex ideas and hypothetical situations, as seen in the text discussing the importance and potential consequences of bees’ disappearance.

Grammar Quiz:

1. If bees ________ (disappear) tomorrow, what would happen to humanity?

will disappear
were to disappear
disappear
had disappeared

2. Bees ________ (pollinate) flowers every day, which is essential for our ecosystem.

pollinate
are pollinating
were pollinating
have pollinated

3. If bees ________ (not protect) in the past, they would be facing severe threats today.

had not been protected
were not protected
are not protected
would not protect

4. By the time bees ________ (disappear), humanity ________ (face) severe food shortages.

disappear, will face
had disappeared, would face
disappear, faces
will disappear, is facing

5. If bees ________ (be) protected, they ________ (thrive) and pollinate more flowers.

were, would thrive
are, thrive
would be, are thriving
had been, would have thrived

Answer Key:

1. were to disappear

2. pollinate

3. would not protect

4. had disappeared, would face

5. were, would thrive