Written by: Martina Egli

The merest sight of a bee can send some people running for the hills in sheer terror! Grown men break out in a cold sweat and start doing what I have termed “The Bumble-Bee break dance” as they franticly start dodging, swerving, arms flailing, desperately trying to escape the little Bee.

I shouldn’t be telling you this but, recently for example, my Boyfriend and I were calmly queuing at the local cinema, when he suddenly burst from the line, and as far as all bystanders were concerned, started body-popping like a maniac! The cause of his spontaneous outbreak of funky-ism – the humble bumble bee. After a smattering of applause he returned to my side, head hung in shame, the bee long departed.

The truth is though, that we should celebrate the bumble-bee. Here are some amazing facts about bees that you might not know!

• Recent studies have shown that approximately a third of the human food supply is dependent on insect pollination, most of which is accomplished by the honey bee. What would we do without them?
• The honey bee is the only insect that produces food eaten by human-kind.
• The average honey bee will only make one-twelfth of a tea spoon of honey during it’s busy little life.
• The Bumble bee is completely miraculous- how so you ask? It is so un-aerodynamic that it shouldn’t be able to get of the ground- yet it does, day after day, all so I can have my honey!
• The male honey bee is called a drone- they do no work at all, all they do is mate. (Sounds familiar!)
• Worker honey bees are female, do all the work and live only 6-8 weeks. (Hey! that’s not fair!)

Little Bee, we salute you!

“The sweetest honey is loathsome in his own deliciousness. And in the taste destroys the appetite. Therefore, love moderately.” William Shakespeare

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