bee
a bee collecting pollen
a kind of insect – small with four wings; hard working and with a painful sting; different species are in different sizes – the smallest being the stingless worker bee — 5/64 inch (2.1 mm) long and the largest being the queen of the leafcutter bee – 1.5 inches (39 mm); feeds on the nectar (thick sweet juice in some flowers) and the pollen of the flowers; queen bees live up to 3-6 (or 4-7) years, and the workers live only up to 5 to 7 weeks; related to wasps and ants; about 20,000 species (kinds) found all over the earth, except on Antarctica
female ~~ queen
baby ~~ larva
group ~~ swarm, grist (flying in group); colony (in the nest or hive); bike; drift
voice (call) ~~ {not made by the mouth or throat, but by the vibrations (shaking of) the body muscles, not even the wing beats – only in bees} drone, buzz, hum [queen bees make other sounds called “piping”, “quacking” and “tooting” which sound like children’s trumpet tooting, but those sounds are also made by the body, not by mouth or throat]
home ~~ nest (in nature); hive/beehive (artificial – man-made)
an apiary with several man-made hives
The process of bee-keeping by humans is called “apiculture” and the place where these bees are kept is called an “apiary”.
A person who keeps bees for honey, wax, and makes the bees pollinate crops is called an “apiarist” or a ‘beekeeper’.
queen bee – only one in a colony; lays eggs all the time
drone – many in a colony; main job is mating with the queens (once a drone mates with a queen, it dies); helps in keeping the hive cool; though without a sting, a drone tries to protect the hive when it is disturbed
worker bee – sterile female bee (cannot lay eggs, but in some species some worker bees lay eggs but they all hatch into drones); has a sting (a small needle like thing at the back of it with which it pricks the enemies, including humans, causing a lot of pain) looks after the larvae and the queen; gathers honey and pollen; builds, guards and repairs the nest/hive.
‘European honey bee’ is the state insect of 17 states in the USA! They are: Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Like ants, bees also live in well-organised societies. There is caste system and division of labour.
Contrary to the general belief, only some species (7 kinds) of bees collect and store honey.
The bee honey is one of the valuable food items consumed (eaten) not only by people but also by other animals.
Keeping bees for honey (apiculture) is a very profitable business – the most popular species (kind) being the ‘European honey bee’.
Besides, bees pollinate crops and plants (help the flowers of plants and crops change into fruit or grain).
Not all kinds of bees feed on flowers – a stingless species (kind) called ‘vulture bee’ feeds on carrion (the dead and rotten bodies of other insects and animals)!
‘Cuckoo bees’ are like cuckoo birds – do not build their own nests but lay eggs in other bees’ nests, and even change their body shape to look like the bees in whose nest/hive they lay eggs!
About the Author:BC Kumar
BC Kumar, an English Language Teacher, taught in numerous countries including Ethiopia, Oman and India, shares his knowledge and passion for the English Language. Disclaimer: This is a free educational website and all content has been compiled by the author. All copyrights to images and videos belong to their respective owners.
