Bee Beauty
Newsletter from Jan 3 2025
Book Two, The Sorrow of Bees, is off to the editor, and I’d like to share some fascinating things I learned about bees.
They don’t have lungs. They breathe through holes in their abdomens, called spiracles.
They smell through thin hairs lining their antennae, and groom their antennae through special combs in their elbows.
They “hear” through vibrations in their bodies, specifically on the legs, at what would be their knees.
They make wax scales in their bellies and mash the wax in their mandibles (mouths) to soften it, patting it into shape to create their honeycomb hives.
Nectar is passed from bee to bee by their tongues, slowly drawing out the moisture to create honey. Only bees know when it’s “ready” as science can’t figure it out.
Bees beat their wings two hundred and thirty times a second… wow!
Bumblebees create an electrical charge with their furry bodies, called scrabbling, which attracts pollen to stick to them.
Bees need fresh water. Put stones in a shallow dish or they’ll drown through those holes in their tummies.
When bees swarm, they “shimmer,” pulsing their bellies while shaking their wings, creating a rippling pattern to make themselves look larger to warn off predators.
Bumblebees have a natural antifreeze to stop their blood from crystalizing as they sleep during the winter.
A bumblebee in the Spring is a Queen, all alone, so don’t yank out those dandelions. She needs them!