Honey Bee Facts
- A bee colony can vary in strength from between approximately 50,000 plus in the summer to around 5,000 to 10,000 in the winter
- Within the honeybee colony there are three castes (types) these are the queen (fertile female), workers (infertile females) and drones (males)
- A queen can live up to five years.
- A worker bee carries out a predetermined set of duties within its lifetime
- Worker bees generally live for approximately six weeks during the summer months but considerably longer during the winter.
- It is estimated that the nectar from about 2 million flowers is collected to make 1 pound of honey.
- A hive of bees can fly approximately 55,000 miles to make 1 pound jar of honey.