You may be surprised to learn that there are over 250 species of bee in the UK alone. Bumblebees, for example, have 24 different species.

This month’s focus is the honey bee. They can usually be seen between March and October, flitting between flowers and collecting precious nectar. They live in beehives in hollow trees or rock cavities.

Queen bee

A single hive can have 20,000-60,000 honey bees with only one queen. The queen bee is the biggest in the colony, measuring about 2cm. Her job is to lay eggs; she can produce up to 2,000 eggs per day.

The worker bee

Worker bees are female. Their role is to produce honeycomb by secreting wax from their abdomens. They must also go out and forage, keep the nest clean, feed the larvae and protect the nest from predators.

Drones

Male honey bees are called drones and they have no stinger so cannot cause harm. They often live for only a few weeks to mate with the queen and then they will die. Just a few hundred drones are produced in a colony compared to the thousands of worker bees. At summer’s end, the few surviving drones are the first to be kicked out of the colony so they cannot consume the winter stores.

How is honey made?

Worker bees will fly within five miles of their hive to collect pollen and nectar. They will consume what they need first for nourishment and then continue to gather more, which will be stored in their second stomach. When the bee returns to the hive, a young worker bee will suck the nectar out of the foraging bee’s second stomach.

The nectar will then be chewed for about 30 minutes to add enzymes, which will form a syrup. This syrup will then be deposited into a honeycomb segment. By flapping their wings, the water in the syrup will evaporate to reach the right consistency. The honey is then ready to be capped.

This is when the worker bees produce wax from their abdomens to spread over the honeycomb segment to store the honey while it awaits later consumption during the winter months.

Help save the honey bee

There are a few simple things you can do to help bees thrive. You can start by mowing the grass less often and not using pesticides. Planting a beautiful wildflower garden is also hugely beneficial, as such a diverse range of flowers are produced, all with various benefits.

Herbs, flowers, trees, shrubs, fruit and vegetables are all beneficial to many species of bee, which is imperative for their survival. Bees also need water. If you don't have a birdbath, you can place a small tub of water among the flowers or out on a table to help the hard at work species.