Bzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

A honey bee's wing stroke is incredibly fast. Moving at around 200 beats per second their wings create the distinctive buzz. This noise is can be off-putting when heard nearby, especially if followed by the sharp pinch of a sting!

However, bees are for the most part gentle creatures, especially honey bees. Hour after hour, they go out in search of nectar, and them buzzing by you is just them travelling in search of their next nectar meal. So why do some still us then? The number one reason why a bee attacks is if it feels threatened. When we swat a bee or disrupt the hive, they tend to sting us in attempts to protect the queen bee. It is the female worker bees who sting as male drone bees don't have a stinger.

So remember, bee friendly and they won't bug you!

Bee-lieve it or Not

DID YOU KNOW? 1 in 3 bites of food we consume is made possible by bees and other pollinators.

The global bee population is declining at an alarming rate due to Colony Collapse Disorder. Whether we are aware of it or not, we need bees and they need us!

There are many small things we can do to help save the bees. For starters, gardens. If you have a garden you can do your part by planting plants that attract pollinators. Black Eyed Susans, New England Asters and Canola are a few plants that are more appealing to honey bees.

Another important practice is bee watering. bee-lieve (sorry, we just had to) it or not, bees get thirsty just like you and me. They often have a hard time finding a drink due to lurking predators and the risk of drowning in too deep of water. By regularly filling up a bucket or bowl with water and placing wine corks, sticks or pebbles as perches in the water, you can easily offer bees a safe place to quench their thirst.

For more on saving the bees, visit: https://bringbackthebees.ca/