“Little Flying Farmers”

When thinking of honey bees, you might automatically think about being stung, their role in pollination, or even the delicious honey they help produce. Or maybe it simply causes you to reminisce when you hear that familiar buzz of their wings. In either case, they are an important part of our ecosystem, and they play a huge role here at CCLF.

In addition to the estimated billions of dollars they bring to the agricultural industry pollinating crops, bees’ lives are filled with specific job responsibilities and lots of hard work. There are well over 200,000 different species of flowers that rely on these little flying farmers to spread pollen from one flower stigma to another in order to cross pollinate. Nearly a third of American crops rely on bees to do so. During a bee’s life span, it will complete many different “jobs” within the hive.

For this post we spoke with Rob Thomson, a former American Airlines pilot who within the last few years has gotten more involved in beekeeping, and who takes care of the bees here at CCLF. Rob had always been curious about bees, and just before the Coronavirus hit, he began deepening his knowledge and understanding. Here, he offers an in-depth explanation on the life cycle of bees and how they operate.

Bee Hives

There are different options when it comes to bee hives and their structure. It depends on how you plan to maintain and manage the bees and what your preferences is. Both traditional and flow hives are great options in either scenario. Traditional langstroth hives were designed in Australia and named after Reverend Langstroth. These stackable, customizable frames are the most commonly used in North America. These types of hives can be customizable and expanded for growing colonies. In cooler climates, bees typically build vertically while in warmer clients, bees build horizontally.

Frames that work vertically can simulate a hollow tree. Horizontally, they may act as a replica of a fallen down tree. Flow hives store honey towards the back of the hive and temperature is maintained within the mid 90’s. They’re an excellent go to choice for beekeepers and bee hobbyists as they easily allow for honey collection. One box can have eight to ten frames and they can either be blank and the bees will build, or beekeepers can lay down a liner for the bees, where the foundation is almost ready and the bees will fill the cells with honey.

Flow hives are an excellent and easy option because when the honey is ready, you do not have to disrupt or open the hive. Outside the middle of the hives, where eggs are laid and the larva turns into bees, is where the honey is stored. Within these hives, the upper box is a plastic honeycomb where you would put a key in after the bees fill it with honey. You can tell when it is ready to drain through the clear observation windows. The honey extracted without needing to open the beehive or harming any of the bees.

The Roles of Bees

When the bees hatch, there are multiple jobs through which they will progress as they get older. When a bee is born their primary role is to clean the cell, which eventually turns into becoming a “nurse” bee whose responsibility is taking care of larva. From that point, the bee becomes a worker bee, providing heat and taking care of the queen. Just as their name describes, water bees find water sources to fill gullets and bring back to the hive; some bringing back pollen and nectar as well. Guard duty bees remain closer to the entrance and will defend the hive as needed. Scout bees are in charge of searching for a new location for a hive (particularly if they're getting ready to swarm).

Lastly, field bees are foragers and can be identified by their tattered wings. Drones are male bees whose job is to mate with the queen bee who, about after a week, will lay eggs. Queen bees live about 5 years and will lay up to 1500/2000 eggs a day. The eggs that are fertilized become female worker bess, while male bees, or drones, are products of the unfertilized cells. If the worker bees notice that the queen is laying eggs differently they will choose certain cells and raise new queen bees. If the bees are successful, you can expect honey to be ready around the months of July and August.

PTSD, Arthritis and Healing Frequency

More recently, the emphasis on bees and their effect have been holistically linked to improving mood, mental health and overall wellness. Many people with arthritis have declared that their symptoms have improved or disappeared about being stung by bees. Beekeepers with Arthritis have also declared that their symptoms vanished after being stung multiple times. While bee venom does have anti-inflammatory properties, there isn’t enough scientific evidence to support the notion that bee stings can alleviate all symptoms from Arthritis. But anecdotally, the optimistic view is to agree that the sting can help.

Furthermore, beekeeping has been introduced to Veterans as a way to cope with PTSD. Bringing the mindfulness and serenity of beekeeping to their lives has been proven to reduce anxiety, depression and PTSD related symptoms. There are even places where you can sleep above bee hives and experience the vibration and promote better, restful sleep. The healing frequency of bees helps to stimulate the liver and can strengthen both the central and peripheral nervous system.

Allergies, stings and sensitivity

The most common reactions to bee stings are usually mild and don’t require medical treatment. Swelling, redness and discomfort are often felt for a day or so after being stung, and typically go away on their own. However, some people do express severe allergic reactions that can develop into anaphylaxis. If after being stung you experience symptoms such as difficulty breathing, rapid pulse, loss of consciousness or swelling in the throat, then it’s important to consult with your doctor about allergy shots. People who have a severe reaction to a sting have a great chance of anaphylaxis the next time they’re stung.

In some cases, people can become more resilient to bee stings the more they get stung, while others develop more of a sensitivity. Beekeepers are more likely to be allergic to stings because they have more odds of regularly being stung working with them. Honey bees sting once, whereas bumblebees (and hornets!) can still sting repetitively. The best way to get a stinger out of your skin is to use a credit card and drag in the opposite direction of the stinger. Doing so will remove it without squeezing the sacks which can cause more irritation and pain.

A big thanks to Rob Thomson for his insights into bees, and to our Sam for compiling the information and the pictures.

The magical lives of bees