Animals bees

12 fabulous facts about bees to celebrate World Bee Day

Amanda Wilkie. Updated May 19th, 2025

Without bees, well, quite frankly we’d be screwed! Those black and yellow buzzing balls of fuzz are crucial to humans as, without them, the world could struggle to sustain the human population.

Approximately one third of all food consumed globally is dependent on bee pollination. No wonder they get a day of their own! To celebrate World Bee Day, we’ve put together some fun facts about these stripy heroes. 

BEES HAVE 5 EYES. (2 LARGE COMPOUND EYES AND 3 SMALLER OCELLI EYES IN THE CENTRE OF THEIR HEADS). BEES HAVE 2 STOMACHS. (1 FOR EATING AND 1 FOR STORING NECTAR TO PROCESS INTO HONEY). BEES HAVE SUCH A GOOD SENSE OF SMELL THAT THEY CAN ACTUALLY BE TRAINED TO DETECT BOMBS, EXPLOSIVES AND LAND MINES. A SINGLE BEE CAN CARRY UP TO 35% OF ITS OWN BODY WEIGHT IN POLLEN. ALL BEES,OTHER THAN THE QUEEN, GO TO THE TOILET OUTSIDE OF THEIR HIVE. BEES ARE SO OBSESSED WITH CLEANLINESS THAT MOST, WHEN THEY KNOW IT'S TIME TO DIE, WILL LEAVE THE HIVE SO THEY DON'T CONTAMINATE IT. ANCIENT EGYPTIANS BELIEVED THAT BEES WERE THE TEARS OF RA, THE SUN GOD. IF A QUEEN IS REMOVED FROM HER HIVE, THE REST OF THE HIVE WILL REALISE WITHIN 15 MINUTES, AS THE LOSS OF HER PHEROMONES WILL ALERT THEM. WORKER BEES CAN FLY UP TO 20 MILES PER HOUR WHEN OUT FORAGING. THEY HAVE TO BEAT THEIR WINGS 200 TIMES A SECOND TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS. THIS IS HOW THEY CREATE THE BEE ‘BZZZ' NOISE. WHEN A BEE TAKES ON A JOB USUALLY CARRIED OUT BY A YOUNGER BEE, ITS BRAIN STOPS AGING. - BEES ARE THOUGHT TO HAVE EXISTED FOR MORE THAN 120 MILLION YEARS. BEES COMMUNICATE THROUGH DANCE. THE WAGGLE DANCE IS USED TO TELL EACH OTHER WHERE A FOOD SOURCE IS.



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