In connection with the unique events related to our company and bees, we invite you to the article about the honeybee, where you will find basic information about the species, inhabitants of the hive and their functions in the family, as well as how bees survive the winter and other interesting facts about these beneficial insects.

There are over 125,000 different species of hymenoptera insects in the world and they are found in almost every corner of the world. They do not only inhabit the polar regions. However, one species from this huge group is unique and appreciated by humans – we are talking about the honey bee (Latin Apis mellifera L). [1] For centuries, man’s interest has been aroused by striped insects and the products they produce, therefore, at the Farons’ graves, one can find containers filled with honey, which testifies to wealth and power. Before the bees colonized the hives specially prepared for them, they used tree hollows – either they were dug out for them (the so-called beehives), or they were inhabited by old specimens. The name of the beekeeper  – was derived from the concept of beehive. This profession was unique at that time and shrouded in traditions, incl. It was passed from generation to generation or there were special honey hunting fraternities, and there was also a creation called Rzeczpospolita bartna. [2] Humans quickly discovered that bees not only provide honey, but their role is much more complex – pollinating trees and shrubs, and consequently providing food [4].

Honey bees have polymorphism, i.e. within the same population of a given species, there are different forms that differ in function, structure and hierarchy. Bees are social insects – they create a superorganism where they live and work, and each polymorphic form has its own assigned function. They cannot survive alone. Among bees, we distinguish workers, drones and the queen bee. [3]

One family has about 20-30 thousand (and in the summer it can even count as many as 60-80 thousand) [5] of individuals from one queen bee, which is the only female capable of producing offspring, workers are sterile [3]. Annually, it is able to lay 200,000 eggs [5]. It is larger than the rest of the family and, to the trained eye, easy to find. It lives an average of about 5 years, secretes ectohormone, regulating family life, which causes, among others, that workers only work. Workers have additionally retracted reproductive organs and well-developed ones that collect nectar and pollen, and a sting apparatus for defense. Compared to the mother, their lives are very short – from 4 to 6 weeks, and in addition to gathering food, they also clean the cells of the hatched larvae and feed them. Drones appear only in the summer and have only a reproductive function. Their task is to fertilize the mother, after which they die, driven out by workers, and moreover, they do not do any other work. [3]

Bees are cold-blooded insects, but they can maintain a constant temperature in the hive. In winter they clump together and when it is frosty outside, the temperature inside can reach up to 33 degrees Celsius [3.6]. A lonely bee becomes numb and dies at a temperature below 8 degrees Celsius. However, it may be mistakenly believed that these insects hibernate because the bees never fall asleep. They are in constant motion to change places and constantly rotate inside the withers so that neither of them gets cold. During the winter, the activity of the bees is very limited, they focus on survival. They have stored food in the form of slices and they eat it [6]. Wintering of bees lasts from November to March, and preparations for winter actually last from spring [6, 7]. Beekeepers additionally secure the hives during the winter, ensuring that they are tight and protect the inhabitants against water, winds, uninvited guests (eg rodents) and unnecessary noise [7].

The bee floats in the air thanks to the work of two pairs of wings made of a transparent membrane. On the third pair of legs there are baskets for carrying pollen. The sting is located at the end of the abdomen and may be introduced into the body of another animal by an endangered insect. A sting of a soft-bodied invertebrate does not cause much damage to the stinging bee, while a sting of a larger animal (vertebrate) ends in the death of the bee. Bee venom is usually not dangerous to humans, provided that they are not allergic to it or are not present in a very large amount (over 100 bites) [1]. Interestingly, along with the fashion for hobby beekeeping, apitherapy has developed, i.e. bee products therapy [2] and apitoxin therapy, i.e. bee venom treatment, which can help in such diseases as: rheumatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and joint degeneration, as well as sciatica. The venom helps in the treatment of glossitis and periodontitis, postoperative scars and difficult-to-heal wounds.

It is used by gynecology and allergology, especially in the treatment of atopic bronchial asthma. Positive results were also obtained in the control of peripheral vascular diseases, rheumatic myocarditis and hypertension. Hypersensitivity to Hymenoptera venom is an absolute contraindication to the use of this therapy [8].

Bees, in addition to honey, produce other bee products, but about them and about the properties of honey itself, will be soon in the next article.

Author: mgr inż. Renata Kowalczyk

[1]. https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C5%82onkoskrzyd%C5%82e

[2] M. A. Kruszewski; M. Naumowicz, ?Znaczenie pszczoły miodnej (Apis mellifera) i produktów pszczelich w życiu człowieka?, Edukacja biologiczna i środowiskowa, 4/2017

artykuł – http://ebis.ibe.edu.pl/numery/2017-4/ebis-2017-4-6.pdf

[3] M. Garczyńska, J. Kostecka, ?Pszczoły ważne dla zdrowia ekosystemów i człowieka ? wybrane argumenty? , Polish Jouranl for Sustainable Development, T:19, 2015

artykuł – https://repozytorium.ur.edu.pl/bitstream/handle/item/2064/3%20garczy%C5%84ska-pszczo%C5%82y.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

[4] H. Mruk, ?Pszczoły i ich produkty na usługach zdrowia ludzi?, DOI 10.34616/23.19.116

  artykuł – https://repozytorium.uni.wroc.pl/Content/99740/PDF/02_03_H_Mruk_Pszczoly_i_ich_produkty_na_uslugach_zdrowia_ludzi.pdf

[5] https://www.pomagamypszczolom.pl/o-pszczolach/

[6] https://prawdziwemiody.pl/co-pszczoly-robia-w-zimie/

[7]. https://wcinaj-miod.pl/pszczoly-zima/

[8]. https://panacea.pl/articles.php?id=2509