Macon County Beekeepers Association

Amazing Bee Facts

A typical beehive houses from 15,000 and 50,000 bees.
There is only one reproductive, the queen, in each hive.
The queen can lay from 1500 to 3000 eggs per day.
The life span of a worker honeybee is only 4 to 6 weeks during the summer, and as many months in the winter.
A bee can produce less than one quarter teaspoon honey in her lifespan.
Man's first alcoholic beverage, Mead is a wine made with honey.
The six sided hex shape of honeycomb is the strongest shape per material weight.
All the bees in the hive are female except the drones.
Utah in the USA, known as the beehive state, has a skep as its state emblem.
Drones, the male bee, make up only about 1/4 of 1% of the hive population
The queen bee can live up to 3 or 4 years. She mates with from 12 to20 drones only at the beginning of her life and stores the sperm for continued use.
It takes 8 to 10 pounds of nectar to make a pound of honey.
It takes 8 to 10 pounds of honey to make a pound of beeswax.
To produce a pound of honey, bees travel about 55,000 miles, and visit some 2 million flowers.
The average American consumes about 1.3 lbs. of honey per year.
Approximately 250,000 beekeepers in the USA manage about 3 million colonies.
The term "super" to a beekeeper is one of several boxes stacked to form a hive.
It takes 21 days from the laying of the egg for the adult worker bee to emerge.
The first duty of an adult worker in the hive is as a nurse bee.
A honeybee can fly about 25 mph (21.7 knots).
One ounce of honey would fuel honeybee flight nearly around world.
Honeybees were called white man's flies by Native American Indians.
They can forage as far as 4 miles from the hive.
Pollen is used as protein by the bees.
Pollen is mixed with honey to make a bread to feed developing larva.
The eggs are the size of a quarter of a grain of rice.
A queen cell has about the size and appearance of a peanut shell.
A queen is fed royal jelly throughout it's development and life span .
A drone, comes from an unfertilized egg, and has no stinger.
Drones do not feed themselves, like the queen, they are fed by worker bees.
The sole function of a drone is to mate with a Virgin queen bee.
Upon mating about 1000 feet up in the air, the drone falls to the ground dead.
Melting at 145 deg. F. beeswax is a natural wax, with the highest burning temp.
The Catholic Church uses one million lbs. of beeswax per year for making candles.
Beeswax is also used in the making of cosmetics and polishes.
Beeswax is an excellent lubricant for sliding doors and windows.
Beeswax is used as a dressing for fan belts and other car parts.
Propolis made from tree sap is used as a glue inside the hive.
Propolis is also used in the pharmaceutical industry.
Bees keep the brood rearing area at about 95 degrees F. and 50% relative humidity.
During hot days the bees bring in drops of water and fan them to cool and humidify the hive.
A smoker is used to blow smoke into the hive, to calm the bees.
Bee pollination is vital to maintain the variety of crops this nation enjoys.
The word HONEY is found in 56 Bible verses.

Know your Beeswax

To help prevent food from sticking to fry pans or waffle irons rub beewax on hot pan, and wipe with a clean cloth.
Beeswax dissolved in cleaning fluid to the consistency of a thin paste makes the finest floor and furniture wax. Beeswax makes needles easier to sew with. Toughens and preserves thread and makes it easier to thread sewing needles.
Helps keep sewing machine, vacuum cleaner and other power belts from slipping.
Beewax on irons helps prevent sticking to starched clothing. To apply: rub on heated iron, wipe clean with a cloth.
Waterproofs fish line, clotheslines, shoes and leather articles; eases sticking doors and windows.
Lubricates and rust proofs tools, particularly saws and wood bits.
Makes screws easy to drive into hard or green wood.
Polishes waxes skis, snowboard, toboggans, etc...
Archers use it on bow strings. Seals tree wounds, grafts and budding.
Stops plumbing leaks. Indispensable for wood grainers, auto-body and fender men. yachtsmen, cobblers sail makers,and many others.
Beeswax melts at 145 degrees F. and Flashes at 563 degrees F.

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