Let’s Celebrate World Honey Bee Day!
#WorldHoneyBeeDay is celebrated on the third Saturday in August and brings a buzzing celebration for honey lovers, honey bees, and beekeepers.
An important part of World Honey Bee Day is learning about honey bees and the environment they need. We were excited to talk with Beekeeper Darin, owner of Fuzzy Bee’s Honey, to learn more information about honey bees.
Fuzzy Bee’s Honey is located in Alburnett and started with its first hive about 10 years ago, and then things started “buzzing” from there.
With a passion for nature, the outdoors, and connecting with people in the community, Darin loves sharing his passion for honey bees with others. Whether it’s explaining the extracting process from start to finish, showing the different parts of the bee hive, or explaining the structure of the colonies, Darin appreciates any opportunity to share the story of a beekeeper.
Fuzzy Bee’s Honey is home to 8 bee hives, with each bee hive consisting of about 40,000 bees. Within the hive you’ll find: 
- A Queen Bee
- Worker Bees
- Drone Bees
Queen Bee:
Also known as the “Mother of the hive”, the queen may lay up to 1500 eggs in one day. Once the larvae hatch, the worker bees are responsible for feeding them. Within a hive, there is only one queen, and her strong pheromones (body smells) help to keep the colony working together and prevent the worker bees from trying to lay eggs.
Worker Bees:
Worker bees are responsible for collecting pollen and nectar from flowers. The pollen is used as a protein source and the nectar is an energy source. Worker bees visit thousands of flowers to make just a tablespoon of honey. From the day worker bees are born, they are responsible for cleaning and guarding the hive, collecting nectar, and storing honey for winter.
Drone Bees:
Drone bees are male, do not sting, and are kicked out of the hive by winter (so they don’t eat all the food!) Their primary role in the hive is to mate with the queen bee in order to ensure there are future generations of honey bees, making them a vital part of the hive. Once they mate with the queen, they die.
Honey bees love an environment full of wildflowers, orchards, and other plants. From these plants, honey bees can get nectar, which is what they depend on for survival. Plus, for anyone who has a garden, a honey bee is an important part of your garden to help your nutritious plants.
Honey
Honey provides many health benefits and aids to promote allergy relief and improve overall nutrition. Honey contains trace amounts of several vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin B, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, calcium, iron, zinc, potassium, magnesium, and more!
Honey can be enjoyed on its own, in teas, while baking, or in other confections.
Flavors of honey can vary depending on the variety of flowers and nectar that are available to the bees.
Ways to observe World Honey Bee Day:
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- Replace your usual sweetener with local honey
- Visit a bee yard or talk to a local beekeeper
- Gift honey to a friend or family member
Check out these fun facts about honey bees!
Download – Bee Happy Coloring Picture
Handrawn by Brynna with Boog’s Goods.