Bees clearly demonstrate their consistent dedication to their mission of collecting pollen and making honey as well as their resilience.
They reveal their resilient nature through a number of ways. Firstly, colonies can withstand losses of thousands of worker bees and still bounce back and recover. They also are able to reconstitute their most crucial reproductive organ, the queen, from a single egg she has left behind. Bee colonies are also able to survive a whole variation of temperatures and climates, they persevere through all types of situations and survive through reacting to these different conditions.
Did you know, they also routinely cut themselves in half and surprisingly both halves survive! Clearly bees show their consistent tendency to face any challenge and overcome certain bumps in the road.
Bees' determination is revealed by their “busy bee” work ethic. They are always completing a task and are committed to working diligently.
The tasks that worker bees do:
Nursing: Nurse bees feed and care for growing larvae.
Attending the Queen: Attendants to the queen groom her and feed her frequently.
Cleaning the Hive: This may involve cleaning used cells or clearing the hive of debris.
Cleaning other Bees: These chores involve cleaning dust, stray hairs, and other debris off several others in rapid succession.
Undertaker duties: Although 90% of bees die outside the hive, those that do not are dropped immediately outside the hive to dry. After they have dried, undertaker bees pick them up, fly them several hundred meters from the hive, and drop them (to prevent dead bees from accumulating by the hive, which could attract pests or pestilence).
Building Honeycomb: Bees secrete beeswax and use it to build honeycomb. Oftentimes hundreds of bees will work on the same small section of comb.
Capping Honeycomb: Bees secrete beeswax and use it to cap pupae cells and cells full of ripened honey.
Pollen Packing: House bees collect pollen from returning foragers and pack it in cells for later consumption.
Nectar Ripening: House bees ripen nectar into raw honey by depositing it in cells, and fanning the nectar so that excess water evaporates.
Repairing Hive: Bees use propolis to repair cracks in the hive and to cover foreign particles that are too large to remove
Did you know, in Manchester, the Bee is their symbol due to it representing hard work, being busy and industry. At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution which began in England, Manchester was a producer of cotton textiles. It has been a city associated with industry ever since, and many of Manchester's old buildings, such as the town hall and its clock feature images of bees. 👀
Throughout their life cycle, bees also show their dedication and determination to the Queen bee. Queen bees are not only the leader of their colony but also possess many nurturing characteristics. She only leaves the hive once in her life in order to find her mate, therefore meaning the worker bees do all of the work for her. In winter as well, it is the worker bees that huddle around the Queen Bee to keep her warm via their body heat, they make sure that she stays warm. Sadly, when the queen dies, worker bees once again designate queen cells and raise new virgin queens. Clearly the Queen Bee is the worker bees priority!
The dedication of the Queen bee is extraordinary and something that Beeble is blessed to have. Nicola, like the Queen Bee, is the leader in her domain and company. Our Queen Bee is the brainchild of Beeble. Whilst I wouldn’t go as far to say that we are willing to die for our queen, as worker bees are, Beebles’ worker bees are committed to working alongside Nicola to produce the best honey spirits out there. Here at Beeble, we mimic this same drive and devotion to keep our customers happy and to educate them as much as possible about bees.
Nicola, our Queen Bee
