Honeybee Facts

• Honeybees are not aggressive by nature and generally will not sting unless provoked or protecting the hive from an intruder.
• Honeybees are responsible for pollinating the majority of all vegetable, fruit, and seed crops in the United States, making the decline in honeybee populations very alarming.
• Honeybees produce honey from flower nectar year-round as food for the hive.
• Honeybees collect about 66 pounds of pollen per year during their collection of nectar from flowers.
  • Pollen is the male germ cells produced by flowering plants and necessary for plant fertilization.
  • Pollen consists of 35% protein and 10% sugars and is rich with vitamins, making it one of the most pure natural foods.
• Honeybees typically travel two to three miles from their hive to gather nectar and will fly about 500 miles each in their lifetime. For an entire hive to produce one pound of honey, the bees must travel 55,000 miles and visit 2 million flowers to gather enough nectar!
• Because of its pure form, some believe that honey has antibacterial qualities and eating local honey can ward off allergies.
• Beeswax is another beneficial product that comes from honeybees. Secreted from honeybee glands, beeswax is used in cosmetics, drugs, candles and furniture polish, among other products.
• In the spring, honeybee hives typically number approximately 15,000 to 20,000 bees. By late summer, as many as 40,000 to 60,000 bees can populate a single hive.
• Three types of honeybees are found in a hive, including one queen bee and her thousands of worker and drone bees.
  • The queen and all worker bees are female.
  • All drone bees are male.
  

Threats to Honeybees

• Habitat loss, fragmentation and alterations are some reasons honeybee populations have been declining. Also, destruction of migratory corridors leaves fewer rest stops for the bees.
• Some agricultural processes can kill honeybees, such as pesticide and herbicide use.
• Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is a major threat to honeybee populations and occurs when the worker bees abruptly leave the hive, resulting in a lack of nectar and pollen in the hive. While scientists have not determined the cause of CCD, some suspect a variety of factors, including pathogens, malnutrition, pests such as the wax moth, environmental stress from pesticides, and even radiation from cell phones.

Beekeeping

• Honey collection and the practice of beekeeping have been occurring since the stone ages.
• If you are interested in keeping honeybees and helping fight the decline in honeybee populations, attend a local seminar to learn how to become a beekeeper.
• Professionally trained beekeepers can keep bees on your property, offering a hands-off approach to beekeeping, while still benefiting the honeybee populations.

Links to Additional Information
Pennsylvania State Beekeepers Association
Chester County Beekeepers Association
American Honey Producers Association (AHPA)
Eastern Apicultural Society (EAS)
Online PA State Apiary/Beekeeper Registration
National Honey Board (NHB)
American Bee Journal
Bee Culture

References
Backyard Beekeepers Association www.backyardbeekeepers.com
Chester County Beekeepers Association www.chescobees.org
Image - www.goldendropsfarm.com

For more information send email to emc@brandywine.org, call 610-388-2700,
or write to Environmental Management Center, Brandywine Conservancy, P.O. Box 141, Chadds Ford, PA 19317

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