Bee Facts
Bees are incredible creatures, and here you’ll find facts about how they live and the ways they influence our lives.
How much honey can one hive produce?
Although a colony only needs about 20kg of honey to survive an average winter, one colony can produce 60lbs (27kg) or more in a good season! So, thanks to their over-productive nature, beekeepers can sustainably harvest the surplus honey for all of us to enjoy!
As precious as Roman gold
Romans used honey instead of gold as currency, often paying their taxes with it. It was highly prized as a luxury item and also for its medicinal properties.
Bees have been around for a LONG time
Bees have been producing honey in the same way for over one hundred and fifty million years. (The first dinosaurs appeared around 200-250 million years ago, and the last dinosaurs disappeared around 65 million years ago.)
Honeycomb can be incredibly long lasting
Perfectly edible honeycomb was found in the tombs of the Pharaohs, and some of it was over three thousand years old! How’s that for a ‘best before’ date?
They really are busy bees
Bees fly around 55,000 miles to make just one pound of honey (approx. 450g) – that’s 2.2 times around the world.
And finally...
Some amazing facts – a honeybee can fly up to 15 miles per hour, will visit 50-100 flowers on each trip, and on average will only make one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her life.
