Edible Ink: The Honeybee
Honeybees are the only insect that produces food for humans.
The smallest bee is the size of a fruit fly, the largest is the size of a plum.
Wherever flowers grow, there are bees; with the exception of the Antarctic, they are present on ever continent.
One foraging honeybee will only produce about 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime.
To evaporate any moisture, bees fan nectar with their wings, which creates honey.
Honeybees are originally native to Africa, the Middle East, and Western Europe.
Not sure if that's a bee in your begonias? Bees have four wings, flies have two.
"When the god Re wept and his tears hit the ground, they turned into honeybees." -Egyptian myth
On a typical day, a queen honeybee lays 1,500 eggs.
One third of all the food we eat exists as a result of honeybee pollination.
The U.S. produce 145-165 million pounds of honey per year.
A typical hive produces up to 130 pounds of honey per year.
Bees gather propolis from the leaves and bark of trees and use it to seal holes in their hives. Propolis is antiseptic, and makes a beehive one of nature's most sterile environments.
A honeybee's wings beat 200 times per second.
If kept free of moisture, honey will never spoil.
