• Honeybees can fly up to five miles to forage pollen and nectar.

• A honeybee hive is made up of about 50,000 workers and one queen bee.

• A hive of honeybees needs between 40-70 pounds of honey to survive a John Day winter.   

• Honeybees are responsible for pollinating one third of our food crops.

• Humans have been robbing honey from bees for at least 10,000 years.

• Honeybees are not native to the U.S. and were imported from Europe in the early 1600s. Most native bees are solitary and do not produce honey.

• All bees carry pollen packed on their hind legs in “pollen baskets” or Corbiculae.

• Worker bees perform different tasks according to age. Young bees perform “housework” while older bees guard the nest and forage for food.

• Worker bees are all female and are born from fertilized eggs. In order to become a queen, a fertilized egg must be fed a super enriched diet of “Royal Jelly.” Males are born of unfertilized eggs.

• Honey varies greatly in color and flavor depending on what flowers the bees are foraging.

• Buckwheat honey is very strong tasting and nearly black in color, whereas Vetch produces a very sweet honey that is nearly white in color.