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.

Sometimes in the winter you will find piles of bees and streaks of brown on the outside of the hives. This is simply the older bees leaving (or being toss out of) the hive, and the workers emptying their rectums as quickly as possible in the chill air.

In the summer, the crop works much the same for nectar storage. As the worker gathers nectar the crops expands to fill much of the inside of the abdomen. The winter bees fill and expand the rectum, hoping to make it to spring when they can focus on food and growth rather than warmth and survival.

May you prosper and find honey.