About Bees

This site contains information about bumble bees, honey bees and solitary bees specifically, including information about life cycles, gardening for bees, conservation issues, as well as various articles and snippets of general 'bee information' which will hopefully answer some of your questions, such as 'do bees sleep?' and 'how far do bees fly?'.

However, if the links below do not provide what you are looking for, please try the search bar, or check the navigation bar.

What do bees eat?
Bees eat nectar and pollen, but there are some interesting exceptions!

honey bee foraging on purple geranium flower

Do bees sleep?
If so, how do we know?

How do honey bees make honey?
Honey bees are the only insect which creates a food eaten by humans as well as themselves. But how do amazing honey bees do it?

rectangular slab of comb honey with a wooden honey dipper

Do bumble bees make honey?
People love bumble bees, but do they make honey too?

Beeswax
Information about how and why bees make wax. Did you know that bumble bees make wax too?

Why are bees awesome and important?
Well here are 10 reasons for a start!

Bee life cycle
No matter the species, all bees go through 4 key stages.

How Far Do Bees Fly?
What is the foraging range of bees? How far will they fly to gather nectar and pollen, and thus pollinate our food crops.

Why Do Bees Buzz?
Ever wondered why bees buzz, or how they make that buzzing sound? Find out more here about how these wonderful insects make one of our favourite sounds of summer.

How long do bees live?
This is a question I am often asked during my talks. Different bees have different lifespans. Discover more here.

Bee Facts
Check out these general fun, quick bee facts.

coastal leafcutter bee foraging on pink restharrow flower growing out of sand

Found a bee?
Have you found a poor, wet and bedraggled bee, and are you wanting to help it? Perhaps you've found a little bumble bee with mites on its back? Here's what to do.

Bee nests
Different species of bees nest in different places. Here is a useful Q&A about bee nests.

Types Of Bees
Learn more about the different types of bees here, including an introduction to the bee families.

Bee Pollination
Bees are extremely important pollinators. Estimations vary, but it is often quoted that bees pollinate a third of the food we eat. Bees pollinate in different ways: for example, some collect pollen on their legs, others on their abdomens.