As I checked the bees today, I kept finding myself in awe of their abilities. Processing flower nectar in to honey blows my mind. Every time I've been stung riffling through their home and food cache, I've always understood why they were so dramatic in their defense. It's tasty stuff!
However, within the hive there are male and female bees, and queen bees. Female bees or "workers" are the ones who sting. Male bees, also known as drones are stinger-less. They also don't collect nectar OR pollen. This means that not only do the females defend and protect the hive, they also provide nourishment to drones who only stumble around looking for an available queen to fertilize. Wild dynamic they have there, but it seems to be effective.
Honey is the result of an orchestra of bees working together to maintain and grow populations and ensure food sources. It is nice to see cooperation on that scale to make things better for the group. Humans would be wise to take heed, sans sexist gender roles. I would want to collect some nectar!
Hopefully honey will be available soon. I will be pulling a box in the morning!
Eat well and enjoy.
J&T
