7 Things I Thought I Knew About Bees (But Didn’t)

Before I ever became a beekeeper, I thought I knew bees. I mean, they fly, they buzz, they sting. 

I’d seen them buzzing around flowers my entire life. I’d eaten honey. I’d been stung a couple of times. How complicated could they really be? Turns out…

I was wrong about almost everything.

The more I learn about bees, the more I realize they’re far more fascinating than I ever imagined.

Here are seven things I thought I knew before I became a beekeeper.

1. I Thought Bees Were Looking for Someone to Sting

If a bee flew toward me, I assumed she was sizing me up.

Should I run?

Should I swat?

Should I panic?

Now I know that most bees couldn’t care less about me.

They’re far too busy collecting nectar, gathering pollen, raising babies, guarding the hive, or simply trying to get home.

A bee doesn’t WANT to sting you. For a honey bee, stinging usually means she’ll die, so stinging is their last resort, not their life’s mission.

2. I Thought All Bees Were Honey Bees

If it buzzed…

It was a bee.

If it was a bee…

It made honey.

Simple, right? We all grew up with Winnie-the-Pooh. 

Then Costa Rica introduced me to tiny stingless bees.

Then I started noticing big black bumble bees in the garden. 

And then, tiny native bees.

And metallic green bees.

And I learned that wasps are not the same as bees. 

Suddenly I realized I’d been walking past an entire world I never knew existed.

Now when I see a little pollinator in my garden, I don’t think,

“There’s a bee.”

I think,

“Who are you?”

3. I Thought Every Bee Made Honey

Actually…

I thought every bee species made honey.

Then I thought every bee in the hive made honey.

Neither is true.

Most bee species don’t make honey at all. In fact, there are roughly 4,000 species of native bees living in the United States, and with the exception of honey bees, bees don't produce the kind of honey we harvest and eat.

And even inside a honey bee colony, not every bee is making honey.

The queen doesn’t make honey.

The drones don’t make honey.

Guard bees don’t make honey.

Nurse bees spend their days caring for developing brood.

Worker bees actually change jobs as they age. A young worker might spend her first days cleaning cells or feeding larvae, later she may help process nectar into honey, and eventually she’ll graduate to foraging outside the hive. Honey-making is just one stop along the way—not a lifelong job.

The hive is less like one big honey factory…

…and more like an entire city where everyone has different responsibilities.

4. I Thought the Queen Was in Charge

I imagined the queen marching around the hive giving orders.

After all… She’s the queen.

Turns out she’s less like a CEO and more like the colony’s mom.

She spends her days laying eggs while thousands of workers feed her, care for her, clean her, and keep the colony running.

Without the workers…

There is no queen.

That surprised me.

5. I Thought All Bee Colonies Were Pretty Much the Same

They’re not.

Some colonies are calm.

Some are feisty.

Some seem incredibly productive.

Others move at a different pace.

Some built beautiful full straight comb

Other build all wanky. 

Some greet you politely.

Others let you know immediately that today is not the day.

The longer we’ve kept bees, the more I’ve realized colonies have personalities.

Just like people.

6. I Thought Bees Were Chaotic

Stand in front of a hive for the first time and it looks like complete confusion.

Thousands of bees flying everywhere.

But watch for a few minutes…

The chaos disappears.

You begin to notice patterns.

Watching the Hive Entrance Is Better Than Television

The guards.

The foragers.

The pollen coming home.

The invisible flight paths stretching out into the landscape.

Everyone knows exactly what she’s supposed to do.

What looked chaotic was actually incredibly organized.

Once someone points out what you’re seeing, you can’t unsee it.

7. I Thought I Understood Bees

This might be the biggest myth of all.

Every time I think I’ve started figuring them out…

They teach me something new.

Every hive inspection.

Every walk through the flower garden.

Every quiet moment standing in front of a hive.

The bees have a way of reminding me that I’m still a student.

And honestly…

I hope they never stop.

Looking back, I smile at how much I thought I knew.

Then again…

Give me another year, and I’ll probably have another list of things the bees have taught me.

Somehow, I don’t think they’ll ever run out of lessons.

And honestly…

I hope I never stop learning them.

Thank you for spending a little time in the hive today.

Until next time,

~ Tracy 🐝