Bees are very peaceful creatures.

They don’t attack anyone without reason. But when it comes to survival, they spare no effort. They charge at their opponents with their stingers. One of the most fascinating traits of bees is their dance, known as the Waggle Dance. However, this dance is not just for show; it serves as a means of communication among the bees. They possess an extraordinary method of navigation and measurement. To find food, a few bees fly around. When some bees discover pollen on a flower, they return to the hive to inform the others, performing a unique dance that conveys directions and the location for collecting honey. This dance not only reveals the location but also provides directions and guidance. Like an amazing mathematician, the bee indicates how many degrees and how far the flower is from the position of the sun, using the sun as a compass. Even when it’s cloudy and the sun is obscured, they utilize their specialized photoreceptors to detect polarized light and accurately determine the sun’s position. Karl von Frisch, an Austrian scientist, discovered this in the 1940s and was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1973 for his work.

One might wonder why the cells in a beehive are hexagonal in shape. The goal of bees is to collect as much honey as possible. To store honey, they must construct cells from wax. Therefore, they need a method that minimizes waste of space while maximizing volume. Initially, circular shapes come to mind, but circular cells waste more space between multiple cells. If they were to use triangular or square shapes, although they would minimize space wastage, they would require more wax to build the walls. Since producing more wax would decrease honey production, the hexagonal shape is the most efficient, providing maximum space with minimal wall material. Thanks to Allah for the intelligence granted to them to create our food.

Bees can fly at speeds of up to 15 miles per hour and can travel up to 6 miles. Their wings flap at a rate of 220 times per second, which is why their buzzing can be heard from a distance. Bees are the only insects that directly produce food for humans. Each beehive contains approximately 20,000 to 80,000 bees. There are three types of bees in a hive: worker bees, male bees, and queen bees. Only worker bees build the hive and collect honey. Only worker bees have stingers, and they are the ones that venture outside the hive. A bee can use its sting only once, as it dies after stinging. However, they do not fear death. If they perceive a threat, they will sacrifice their lives to protect their existence. To kill a human, about 1,100 stings would be needed. To gather approximately 1 kg of honey, around 1,100 bees travel an estimated distance of 90,000 miles, which is nearly three times the distance to the moon. In terms of flowers, to collect 1 kg of honey, they must touch the pollen of around 4 million flowers. Under good conditions, a hive can store about 55 kg of honey.

From all this, we can understand the incredible diligence of worker bees. On the other hand, queen bees only eat and lay eggs. A queen bee can lay between 1,500 and 2,500 eggs daily. The life of male bees is quite strange. They do no work and even have worker bees feed them. Their sole purpose in life is to mate with the queen bee. During the mating season, the strongest male bees gather at a specific spot known as the “drone congregation area.” At the same time, the queen bee leaves the hive for what is called the “mating flight.” The queen enters the drone congregation area and releases a specific scent that excites hundreds of male bees. Shortly after, the queen mates with her chosen male while in flight. Remarkably, during mating, the male bee’s endophallus, or reproductive organ, breaks off, leading to its death. This phenomenon is referred to as “dramatic sexual suicide.” If a queen bee dies unexpectedly, worker bees learn about it within 15 minutes and collectively take action to raise a new queen.

There are even more astonishing facts that will surely surprise you. It takes about 20 million flowers to produce 500 grams of honey. A worker bee can produce only half a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime. Interestingly, honey is the only food in the world that never spoils.

Feel free to share this fascinating information with your friends if you find it useful!