Bees

Bees are amazing little insects that do very important work. They fly from flower to flower collecting nectar and pollen. As they visit flowers, they spread pollen around, which helps plants make seeds. Without bees, many of our favorite fruits and vegetables could not grow.

Life in the Hive

Honeybees live in large groups called colonies. A colony can have up to 60,000 bees! The queen bee is the only one that lays eggs. Worker bees do everything else: they build the hive, collect food, and protect the colony.

Making Honey

Bees make honey from the nectar they collect from flowers. They store honey in wax cells inside the hive. Honey is food for the bees during winter when there are no flowers. It takes about 60,000 flowers to make one pound of honey.

Fun Facts

• A bee visits 50 to 100 flowers during one trip.
• Bees communicate by doing a waggle dance.
• Honey never spoils and has been found in ancient Egyptian tombs.

Did You Know?

A single honeybee makes only about one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in its whole life. That is why teamwork is so important!