Honey Bee Ecology – 4 Things Beekeepers Must Know
1. Cross pollination and the consistency of honey
Beekeepers rely on the several thousand varieties of bees to cross pollinate their flowers and create new species of flowers and also several different consistencies of honey. The beekeepers keep a track of the bees and their cross breeding so that they know where the bees originated from and their origin. This way they also know the consistency of the honey that various bees produce.
2. Origination of bees
Bees generally originated from Asia, Africa and Europe and were brought to America centuries ago by immigrants from all over the world. The only place where there are no bees is the Antarctica. Bees are related to wasps, but unlike the bees wasps do not pollinate flowers like the other species of the same category which are beetles, butterflies and flies.
3. The two categories of bees
Beekeepers learn to manage their bees with the two categories which are males and females. Generally there are only a few males and the females that are more in number fight for control of the bee hive with each other.
4. African bees are not aggressive
People feel a fear when they hear about the African bee and think it is a poisonous killer bee, but this is not so and the African bee is not dangerous at all. These bees are the most popular with the bee keepers and also in most of the beekeeping industry too. Clover honey is produced by the African bee and is the most popular and most utilized honey. These bees never attack anyone, but will do so only if they are defending their hive and the safety of the queen bee is a concern. The queen bee lives inside the hive permanently once she becomes pregnant and will never be seen again. Beekeepers remove parts of the hive but never touch the area where the queen bee lives.
Though bees may be of a passive nature by and large, it is quite annoying to have them buzzing around you while you are out at a picnic. This is because there sense of smell is stronger than their eye sight and they come because of the smell of food. It is their sense of smell that guides them to the flowers and pollinates them. Sometimes the food people consume could smell very much like flowers and the bees go for this. Bees sometimes hover around trash cans because of certain foods that are dumped in them. So farmers should be careful when dumping food in the trash cans because this could lead the bees to the trash cans instead of their natural habitat.
- Abhishek Agarwal
Everything you wanted to know about Bee Sting Allergies
Honey bees attack people in two instances, when they feel their hive is attacked or when they themselves are threatened. When a honey bee attacks, it lodges its barbed sting into the victim’s skin. A normal reaction involves swelling, redness, pain at the site. However, if the person has bee sting allergy, the reaction is severe and it can even lead to death. In fact, about 40 to 50 people die from bee sting allergies, every year in the United States
Symptoms of Bee Sting Allergies: If a person with bee sting allergies is stung, the hives would not be localized it but moves to other parts of the body. Following are the symptoms of bee sting allergy:
Red, itchy hives which spread beyond the sting to other areas of the body Swelling of lips, mouth and throat Itchy, watery eyes and runny nose
Bee sting allergy can progress to anaphylaxis which is life threatening. The symptoms of anaphylaxis are low blood pressure, breathlessness, difficulty swallowing, dizziness etc. To stop the anaphylactic reaction, Epinephrine should be injected to the victim
First Aid for Bee Sting: Persons who are allergic to bee stings should immediately be administered epinephrine to prevent anaphylaxis and they should seek medical help. It is also important to remove the stinger out of the skin by scraping it or by flicking it. Avoid squeezing or pulling out the stinger. Apply cold compresses to the sting site for relief.
How to Avoid Being Stung? If a person is allergic to bee sting, it is very important to take steps to avoid being stung. Here are a few tips:
Prefer light-colored clothing. Avoid wearing bright colored clothes as bees are attracted to them. Bees are attracted to flowery perfumes. Hence, avoid wearing deodorants, colognes, perfumes with floral scents when entering into a bee or wasp colony If bee hives are around your place, make sure they are removed Avoid leaving food outdoors and close the dustbins, as bees are attracted to food
Bee Sting Allergy Testing: An allergist can determine if you have bee sting allergy by conducting allergy tests. Blood tests ( RAST) and skin tests are used to test for bee sting allergy
Bee Sting Allergy Treatment: To prevent the progression of anaphylaxis one should use epinephrine. Self-injectable epinephrine such as Epi-Pen can be used by the victim. Epinephrine should be carried all the time to avoid an anaphylactic reaction.
Venom immunotherapy or allergy shots are long-term treatment option for those with bee allergies. This treatment involves administering minute amounts of allergen over a period of time. Gradually, the person would overcome bee allergies.
Medic-Alert bracelets could be worn by those who have bee sting allergies. This bracelet identifies the medical condition, allergies and enables the doctors to give proper treatment.
Getting yourself tested for bee allergies is the first step in overcoming them. Bee sting allergies are very dangerous and those who have this condition should carry a self-injectable epinephrine all the time.
- amit shukla