What You Should Know About Bees!

Did you know that there are more than 4,000 native and wild bee species prospering throughout North America? Evolving alongside the flowers native to the region, bees have become a necessary component for a thriving ecosystem. While these fuzzy little insects might be primarily known for honey production and the odd sting or two, they are far more fascinating than you could ever imagine at a glance.

Let’s leap into the wild world of bees by starting from a central point in Arizona where we will detail the many bees native to the region. Remember,

Learn About the Bees of Arizona

Arizona is famous for its climate and beautiful outdoor views. Did you know that Arizona also has a teeming population of bees, Africanized and otherwise! The Copper State has a unique relationship with a few fascinating varieties of bees, so let’s briefly introduce our readers to them now.

  • Bumble Bees — Also known as the Sonoran Bumblebee, this large and colorful bee is native to the Sonoran Desert as well as large swathes of the western portions of the United States. Originally identified and named in 1837 by Thomas Say, the Sonoran Bumblebee is one of the most widely spread and common bumblebees in America. These bees grow to roughly 3/4 of an inch and are known for their brown and gold hairs with black stripes along the abdomen.
  • Africanized Honey Bees — Regular honey bees aren’t traditionally known as a threat to humans. However, Africanized honey bees are highly aggressive, and they like to attack in massive swarms. A dangerous stinging insect, these bees should be avoided, particularly during swarming season.
  • Western Honey Bee — The most common bee species around the world due in large part to its increased honey production capacity. These are the favored bees of beekeepers looking to produce honey and pollination.
  • Mining Bees — Also known as the Andrena, the common mining bee is from the largest genus in the Andrenidae family, encompassing over 1,300 species of bee. Mining bees are distinguished from other bees by their compound eyes, long hairs, and propensity to make nests within sandy soil.

We’ve touched on only a sampling of the many species of bees found throughout the state of Arizona. With that being said, we’ve only scratched the surface of the more than 20,000 species of insects within the Apoidae family, a superfamily consisting of wasps and bees.

Understanding the Bee Colony

As social insects, honey bees live within colonies. These colonies exist within a centralized structure, organized around a single queen. This queen is catered upon by male drones and female worker bees, consisting of nearly 80,000 total insects on the higher end during the more active season.

With temperatures on the move, honey bee colonies will shrink in population rather dramatically when the colder seasons arrive. Until then, each bee within the colony must attend to its specific job to keep the entire structure and society operational.

  • The Colony Consists Of Three Types of Bees: Queen, Workers, & Drones

Honey Bee colonies require diversity within their population to survive as each tier of bee is required to perform a specific, colony-supporting task. To establish a new colony, honey bees, drones, and workers must be able to travel, provide fertilization, wax, and food to support the construction of the colony.

What is the Difference Between a Hive and Colony?

A beehive is traditionally a manmade structure, akin to a house, where bees live. These are built to support bees that have been relocated. A bee colony refers to the entire family unit, including the Queen, Workers, and Drones.

How Big Do Bee Hives Actually Get?

Asking how large a beehive can get is a bit of a tricky question. Hives can grow in size depending on several factors including resources, weather conditions, space for expansion, a healthy queen, and population balance. Hives have been discovered around the world as tall as two stories with more than 500,000 bees in the population.

What Should I Do If I Find A Hive On My Property?

Depending on the type of bees on your property, there are a variety of choices available to you. Experts like Buzz Tech Pest Control employ technicians and beekeepers trained to quickly, safely, and effectively protect your home against an infestation. Africanized Honeybees, for example, will impact an area up to 50 feet away from their hive, a particular danger to young children and pets.

Stunning Facts About Bees

Magnificent little creatures, bees are more than just flying insects that we share our yard with. Bees are in fact fantastically important to the overall health of the world that we live in. Bees are integral to the process of pollination, providing plants with the pollination necessary for nearly 90% of the world’s food production!

Physical Facts about Bees!

  • Bee Brains Are the Size of a Seed — Did you know that the brain of a regular bee is typically the size of a sesame seed? It’s true! Despite their small heads and even tinier brains, bees are exceptionally smart. Bees are capable of calculating complex equations to forage more efficiently while traveling long distances. Hard workers, indeed!
  • The Five Eyes of a Bee — Two eyes on the right and left side of the bee’s head work like tiny lenses and the three remaining eyes are seated atop their head to further amplify its abilities. The eyes situated atop the bee’s head allows the tiny creature to see UV light, giving powerful benefits in low-light conditions.
  • Bees Have an Incredible Sense of Smell — A tiny body only amplifies the senses that bees have. Honey bees are known to have exceptionally effective odorant receptors, allowing these tiny insects to differentiate between flowers, allowing a more efficient harvest of nectar and pollen. To save time, bees will communicate this information with their bodies, head-butting and dancing to send their message.
  • Bees Have UNIQUE Memories — Did you know that bees can see and remember the faces of people? No, this isn’t a side plot from The Bee Movie, this is real life! Bees can map out human faces and some scientific studies have shown that they can recall said faces.

Historic Bee Facts!

  • The Oldest Bee Fossil — A researcher at Oregon State University would discover a 100 million-year-old bee fossil in the Hukawng Valley of Myanmar in 2006. The fossil featured a bee perfectly preserved in amber, a key reason for its longevity. According to DNA studies, bees have lived on Earth for over 130 million years.
  • Feeding Our Planet — There is a reason that scientists pay so much attention to the health of the bee population. Bees promote pollination for over one-third of the food that we consume on the planet. This means that life, as we know it, requires bees to live, thrive, and continue pollinating.
  • The Largest Bumblebees — The Bombus Dahlbomii grows up to 1.6 inches in length, more than four times the size of a regular American bumblebee. This gigantic bumblebee, known as the largest on earth, can be found in South America. We’ll pass on bringing them over!
  • How Many Bees Still Remain — While it is impossible to get a perfect number, scientific estimates as of 2019 believed that there were 2 trillion bees left on the planet. These numbers were accused by counting known hives and colonies, though the rapid eradication of insects along with collapsing hive disorder has made this process much more difficult.

Buzz Tech Pest Control: Your Local Bee Experts

Buzz Tech Pest Control is a bee removal specialist whose company features employees with over 30 years of industry experience, having removed over 5,000 total hives. Licensed through the Arizona Department of Agriculture, Buzz Tech Pest Control is your source for quick and convenient pest control when you need it most.

  • Service In Under An Hour
  • Complete Removal Services (Including Honey)
  • Licensed & Insured
  • 24/7 Emergency Services Available

Contact Buzz Tech Pest Control at your convenience to schedule an inspection and consultation.