Archive for the ‘The Buzz About Bees’ Category

May 29th, 2010 – National Day of the HoneyBee

Posted in The Buzz About Bees on 05/28/2010 02:10 pm by zeebee

The Day of the Honeybee in Saskatchewan will be observed, for the first time, on May 29.

“Our government is proclaiming the Day of the Honeybee in Saskatchewan in recognition of the important role of the beekeeping industry in our provincial economy,” Agriculture Minister Bob Bjornerud said. “Our province has a very successful beekeeping industry and it is important we recognize the efforts of our producers.”

Saskatchewan’s beekeepers produce about 8,000 tonnes of honey a year for Canadian and international consumption, which is worth approximately $21 million. This accounts for 30 per cent of the honey produced in Canada.

Bees also contribute to the Saskatchewan agriculture industry through the pollination of various crops, including canola.

“This proclamation is an important step to promoting our industry,” Saskatchewan Beekeepers Association Chair Calvin Parsons said. “We appreciate the provincial government recognizing beekeepers and honeybees in Saskatchewan.”

Various countries around the world have recognized the importance of the honeybee to agriculture and have proclaimed days or weeks in its honour.

http://www.gov.sk.ca/news?newsId=823ea818-cb8c-4fcf-b8bb-ce53a61f245b

 

Some Bee Trivia

Posted in The Buzz About Bees on 05/18/2009 09:47 pm by zeebee

Did you know :

A honey bee has 6 legs, 5 eyes, 4 wings and can fly 15-20 miles per hour.

A honey bee must tap into about 2 million flowers and fly 50,000 miles just to make 1 pound of honey.

A honey bee does not sleep.

A female honey bee is called a “worker” and a male bee is called a “drone.”

A worker bee can sting, but if she stings she will die.  Drones have no stinger.  A Queen bee can sting but will only sting another Queen.

A honey bee has no ears but they can sense vibration.

Honey bees communicate with each other by performing a “Bee Dance.”  This dance alerts other bees to location of nectar and pollen.

A worker bee will only live between 4 – 6 weeks during the busy summer season.

A honey bee colony will contain approximately 60,000 – 80,000 worker and drone bees and 1 Queen bee during the peak summer season.

A Queen bee will mate with up to 17 drones during a 1-2 day mating flight then never mate again in her lifetime of 2 -3 years.

The Queen will lay anywhere from 800-2000 eggs per day.

Did you know that Henry Fonda kept honey bees!

We need bees to pollinate our crops for our continued food supply! !

Next time you see a bee……………bee friendly!