Today’s letter S is for Stinger. We have talked about stingers before, especially in our 12 Days of Honey Bees. There we discussed how stingers evolved from the egg-laying ovipositor and thus only appear in females, but we didn’t get into the structure a stinger very much. Of course, stinger is also a great S word, so how could I resist.
Continue readingMonth: March 2024
R is for Rectum
Today’s letter R is for rectum. Yes, indeed, bees have a rectum and they certainly poop. In the honey bee, the rectum is unusual in that it can expand and contract as needed. In winter, when the workers may be trapped in the hive for long periods, the rectum accumulates waste matter and water while the bee stays warm in the hive. When a warm day (above 45 F or 7 C) arrives, she will take a quick trip outside the hive to relieve herself.
Continue readingQ is for Queen
Today’s letter Q is for Queen, of course. For a long time folks thought a beehive must be ruled by a male bee. In fact, in ancient Egypt the bee was a symbol for the King of Lower Egypt. It wasn’t until the 1600’s that the biologist Jan Swammerdam provided evidence that the Queen was, in fact, female and the mother of all worker bees.
Continue readingP is for Pollination
Today’s letter P is for Pollination. Not a bee part, I know, but it’s March 1 in Virginia and the flowers are getting ready to burst. We have crocus, daffodils, and creeping speedwell blooming so far, and more on the way. It looks like we may have some warm weather on Sunday, in which case I may check to see if the bees are bringing in nectar from the neighborhood.
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Bees with eeb 