In addition to yesterday’s article on the use of quantum mechanics by bees, here are some more incredible bee facts about these amazing creatures:
– Bees have five eyes–two large compound eyes and three simple eyes (ocelli) used to detect light intensity. A worker bee’s eyes have 7,000 lenses.
– Bee wings have an electrostatic charge which attracts pollen.
-A bee has two sets of wings. Rapid slapping generates warmth and evaporates water from nectar to make honey.
– Bees have wing hooks which enable the bee to use one of each set of wings or use the wings together for maximum efficiency.
– The proboscis, which is an airtight straw-like tube, sucks up nectar and also works in reverse to feed offspring from a honey stomach.
-The bee has a mandible with jaws that help bite and pack pollen as well as shape wax for building the honeycomb.
– Leg brushes scrape pollen from front to back where it collects in the pollen sac attached to the rear leg.
– Bees have a honey stomach which is a second reservoir where they temporarily store nectar before it is regurgitated.
– A worker bee can carry more than half its weight in pollen and can visit up to 100 flowers in one trip.
– A queen bee lays 1500 eggs a day and lives for three to seven years.
Bees are truly an amazing part of God’s creation.
–John N. Clayton © 2017