There are nearly 20000 known species of bees, most of which surprisingly do not fit the usual stereotype.

We uncover the most common rumours about bees.

 

Rumour number 1All bees make honey. Only honey bees and stingless bees collect enough honey to be suitable for beekeeping. There are less than 10 species of honeybee and just 450 species of stingless bee. Bumblebees, of which there are about 250 species, produce just 2 teaspoons of honey in their nests. In total, therefore, there are less than 5% of bee species that make honey.

 

Rumour number 2All bees sting. The stinger is a kind of modified apparatus for laying eggs. Therefore, logically, only female bees have the necessary equipment to sting. But even among the female bees there are many that cannot sting at all. Most bees that cannot sting still have their stinger, but it does not work. In some species, the stinger has regressed completely in the course of evolution.

 

Rumour number 3Bees have a complex social structure. Honey bees and stingless bees live in a perennial society with a complex division of labour. They not only have a queen and workers, but also specialised social workers. Some bees, for example, take care of the offspring, while others dispose of the dead bees. Other bee species, however, have simpler swarms that only last for one summer. Bumblebees are one of these simpler bee species. However, most bees are solitary. A single female bee builds her nest, gathers food, lays eggs and repeats this process throughout her life. The social skills of most bees are limited to mating and egg laying. 90% of all bees have no social skills at all.

Rumour number 4: Bees live in a beehive. Only the more developed social bees live in a hive. As most bees are solitary, they do not live in a hive. Most bees nest in the ground, in small cavities, in gaps in wood or hollow stalks. Some make nests out of clay or nest on hard surfaces.

 

Rumour number 5Bees are hard workers. The saying of the infamous 'busy bee' certainly applies to the worker bees of the honey bee or the stingless bee. Male bees work little or not at all. Most female solitary bees are only busy for a few weeks at a time. Some bee species hardly work at all on nest building or foraging. Some bee species lay their eggs in the nests of other bees. There are even some species that attack the nests or hives of more developed bees in order to overthrow the queen and enslave the offspring of the old queen.