Category: Honey Bees

What can serve as a nose, ears, fingers, taste buds, weather station, smoke alarm, sugar-analyzer, communication center, speedometer, compass, and much more—all rolled into one? It’s a pair of...

In our area (Puget Sound region), there are sometimes early swarms in April, many more in May through July, and even occasional late-season swarms through August. What happens to all of these...

When the queen is removed from a colony during a hive inspection, it does not take long before the bees become aware of her absence.  Usually within a few minutes, a noticeable buzz...

Not all bees are yellow and black striped, and a bit on the fuzzy side. In our area, we see several species of exquisite, small, shiny green halictid bees in the genus Agapostemon, and they are...

Honey bee water foragers. Photo credit: "beekalmer" 2011 Honey bees that collect water are specialists, a set of foragers completely distinct from nectar gatherers. It’s all they do! This...

Laying Worker Colony A phenomenon that is seen most often in the early spring is that of a “laying worker colony.” In this case, an older queen has become nonfunctional in her egg-laying...