WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.200 --> 00:00:02.720 Oh hey, it's that sweater that lives in the backseat 2 00:00:02.879 --> 00:00:07.599 ali board. I'm here with episode number four of Smologies. Smologies. 3 00:00:07.639 --> 00:00:11.080 If you're like, what's that, there are bite sized, classroom 4 00:00:11.279 --> 00:00:14.960 friendly edits of our original ologies classics. So if you 5 00:00:15.039 --> 00:00:19.480 haven't heard the original Melatology Bees episode and you don't 6 00:00:19.559 --> 00:00:23.519 mind swearing and juicy, sometimes filthy details, stop what you're 7 00:00:23.559 --> 00:00:25.960 doing and listen to that version at the link in 8 00:00:26.000 --> 00:00:28.399 the show notes. But if you need a shorter, g 9 00:00:28.640 --> 00:00:31.920 rated director's cut, you're in the right place. So this 10 00:00:32.039 --> 00:00:35.200 episode still has me buzzing around the room with excitement 11 00:00:35.240 --> 00:00:38.320 because it's all about bees. So Melotology, by the way, 12 00:00:38.399 --> 00:00:41.280 comes from the Greek for bee. So everyone you know 13 00:00:41.759 --> 00:00:45.880 named Melissa, their name means be go tell Melissa that 14 00:00:45.960 --> 00:00:49.399 fun fact. So I met today's ologist in Portland, where 15 00:00:49.399 --> 00:00:53.200 she is a melatologist and president of the Urban Beekeepers 16 00:00:53.240 --> 00:00:57.079 Association there, and after we recorded in twenty eighteen, she 17 00:00:57.159 --> 00:01:01.240 decided to start her own amazing podcast called Beekeeper Confidential. 18 00:01:01.640 --> 00:01:03.759 And if that wasn't enough, she also was the founder 19 00:01:03.799 --> 00:01:07.000 of bella Beek, a company that creates made to order 20 00:01:07.439 --> 00:01:10.840 bee veils. So get ready to find out all about 21 00:01:10.920 --> 00:01:14.799 bee bread, What colors make you most attractive to bees? 22 00:01:15.040 --> 00:01:19.959 Who has stingers? And why why agricultural honeybee populations are threatened, 23 00:01:20.200 --> 00:01:23.840 but why native bees are of greater concern, How you 24 00:01:23.879 --> 00:01:28.120 can help them, hives versus nests, carpenter bees, blue bees, 25 00:01:28.359 --> 00:01:32.000 and how honeybees have a call and response song of 26 00:01:32.040 --> 00:01:37.239 their very own. With bee expert and melotologist Amanda Mandy 27 00:01:37.359 --> 00:01:57.560 shahlog what's going on with these bees? 28 00:01:57.760 --> 00:02:03.480 So what we're seeing is bees are being put into 29 00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:08.520 nest boxes that aren't ideal. Oh and if you look 30 00:02:08.560 --> 00:02:12.960 at the industrial beekeeping complex, bees are being forced to 31 00:02:13.560 --> 00:02:19.560 pollinate and work outside of their normal cycle. Oh and 32 00:02:20.080 --> 00:02:23.719 so they're being pushed to these limits and it's weakening 33 00:02:23.719 --> 00:02:30.120 their immune systems. And when there's monoculture and pesticide use involved, 34 00:02:30.719 --> 00:02:36.039 it causes them to collapse. And I think that generally 35 00:02:36.719 --> 00:02:41.840 the wild honeybee population is doing okay. It's the managed hives. 36 00:02:42.639 --> 00:02:47.759 It's the ones that are used in agricultural practices that 37 00:02:48.080 --> 00:02:53.159 we're seeing the big issues with the colony collapse. But 38 00:02:53.400 --> 00:02:58.000 generally native bees are solitary and they don't make honey, 39 00:02:58.039 --> 00:03:01.560 but they do gather to feed their young. 40 00:03:01.800 --> 00:03:05.000 What is their normal life cycle. Do they only work 41 00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:07.520 in certain months and we're like, yo, we got stuff 42 00:03:07.560 --> 00:03:08.599 to pollinate. 43 00:03:08.520 --> 00:03:11.560 Right, it's February, got almond trees to pollinate. Get up, 44 00:03:11.639 --> 00:03:12.080 let's go. 45 00:03:12.719 --> 00:03:15.960 So Portland is relatively temperate, and Amanda says that the 46 00:03:15.960 --> 00:03:19.199 bees do survive over winter and then they're up and 47 00:03:19.240 --> 00:03:22.400 at them in late March, early April, and then by 48 00:03:22.439 --> 00:03:26.479 November they start shutting down for winter again, living off 49 00:03:26.520 --> 00:03:30.080 the honey and they have smaller colony numbers, but the 50 00:03:30.159 --> 00:03:33.439 summer bees are the most extra they're out there. 51 00:03:34.199 --> 00:03:37.120 The summer bees only last about six weeks because they 52 00:03:37.159 --> 00:03:37.960 literally work. 53 00:03:37.840 --> 00:03:38.719 Themselves to death. 54 00:03:38.840 --> 00:03:42.319 Oh yeah, and most of them are women anyway, ryes 55 00:03:43.319 --> 00:03:46.639 like they needed to take a break, right. It is 56 00:03:46.680 --> 00:03:48.800 like because most of the workers, the workers are all women. 57 00:03:48.879 --> 00:03:51.319 The workers are all women. Yeah yeah, and so they 58 00:03:51.360 --> 00:03:55.039 work themselves to death to death yes, good, yeah. 59 00:03:54.759 --> 00:03:56.919 Yeah, in the scale of like zero to ten. Like 60 00:03:56.919 --> 00:03:58.159 what can the average person do? 61 00:03:59.120 --> 00:04:01.120 I always tell people, well, you don't have to be 62 00:04:01.199 --> 00:04:04.479 a bee keeper to help the cause. The biggest thing 63 00:04:04.759 --> 00:04:07.560 that bees need right now, honey bees and native bees 64 00:04:07.680 --> 00:04:12.479 is food that's safe, you know, providing plant seeds that 65 00:04:12.560 --> 00:04:15.800 haven't been pre treated with pesticides and check the labels 66 00:04:15.840 --> 00:04:17.319 because a lot of them are pre treated. 67 00:04:17.399 --> 00:04:17.920 Oh I don't know. 68 00:04:18.079 --> 00:04:22.600 Yeah, and planting plants that haven't been pre treated with 69 00:04:22.800 --> 00:04:25.959 systemic pesticides. That's one of the big issues. 70 00:04:26.720 --> 00:04:29.800 I didn't know what a systemic pesticide was because I 71 00:04:29.879 --> 00:04:33.079 live in la and my garden is a parking lot. 72 00:04:33.360 --> 00:04:36.000 But they're the kind of pesticides that live in the 73 00:04:36.040 --> 00:04:39.240 tissues of the plant instead of just being misted over 74 00:04:39.279 --> 00:04:39.800 the leaves. 75 00:04:40.079 --> 00:04:44.439 Another thing that native pollinators are struggling with is habitat. 76 00:04:44.560 --> 00:04:46.480 So if you can have a corner of your yard 77 00:04:46.519 --> 00:04:49.360 where you know, you can have that compost pile on 78 00:04:49.399 --> 00:04:52.319 the ground for bumblebees to nest in, or there, you know, 79 00:04:52.319 --> 00:04:55.600 there's lots of other ground nesting bees. So like having 80 00:04:55.600 --> 00:05:01.199 that awareness, you can make your yard its own little 81 00:05:01.319 --> 00:05:03.040 nature site and. 82 00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:03.800 The bees will come. 83 00:05:04.040 --> 00:05:05.720 Can you tell me a little bit about the difference 84 00:05:05.759 --> 00:05:09.759 between honey bees and native bees and should we be 85 00:05:10.480 --> 00:05:12.759 using honey bees in this environment? 86 00:05:15.120 --> 00:05:21.399 With native bees they're actually more effective pollinators than honey 87 00:05:21.399 --> 00:05:23.319 bees are, but honey bees sort of get all of 88 00:05:23.319 --> 00:05:28.759 the attention, and they can be used in the agricultural industry. 89 00:05:28.759 --> 00:05:32.040 They can be used as livestock to pollinate large crops, 90 00:05:32.439 --> 00:05:35.959 but native bees are more effective pollinators. And we have 91 00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:39.360 over four thousand species of native bees in America. What 92 00:05:39.720 --> 00:05:41.959 so there's a lot of them out there, but they 93 00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:44.879 sort of don't get the attention that they need because 94 00:05:44.920 --> 00:05:46.920 the honey bees are, you know, the star of the show, 95 00:05:47.600 --> 00:05:50.480 and they're the ones getting you know, the cry for 96 00:05:50.519 --> 00:05:52.519 help is for the honey bees, but really it's the 97 00:05:52.600 --> 00:05:55.079 native bees that need the habitat. 98 00:05:55.120 --> 00:05:58.120 They need variety in their diet. So when you have like. 99 00:05:58.279 --> 00:06:03.079 These giant fields of of almonds or cotton or corn 100 00:06:03.839 --> 00:06:07.160 or soy beans, that's not good for the native bee 101 00:06:07.199 --> 00:06:09.160 population because they need variety. 102 00:06:09.399 --> 00:06:11.680 You heard how shocked I was that there were over 103 00:06:11.800 --> 00:06:16.120 four thousand species of native bees in America and at 104 00:06:16.160 --> 00:06:19.959 this Malifera, the European honey bee you're so familiar with, 105 00:06:20.519 --> 00:06:22.959 is not one of them. That's right. They were brought 106 00:06:23.000 --> 00:06:27.560 over by settlers for wax and honey and pollination, and 107 00:06:27.639 --> 00:06:31.000 the native bees get edged out of territories and are 108 00:06:31.040 --> 00:06:33.680 more threatened, and the native ones are the species who 109 00:06:33.759 --> 00:06:36.639 need saving. And I had to know more about these 110 00:06:36.879 --> 00:06:40.959 supporting but important native players in the bee show, which 111 00:06:41.199 --> 00:06:44.240 let me remind you is an ensemble piece. Have you 112 00:06:44.279 --> 00:06:47.199 ever seen those huge black bees buzzing around in the summer, 113 00:06:47.560 --> 00:06:50.920 So they're probably carpenter bees. And they drill out these 114 00:06:51.000 --> 00:06:54.920 perfect little tunnels in wood to raise their young. And 115 00:06:54.959 --> 00:06:58.319 the females are black and glossy, and they rarely sting, 116 00:06:58.600 --> 00:07:01.720 and the males are this great golden blonde color. They 117 00:07:01.720 --> 00:07:04.279 don't even have stingers, of course, because they're dudes, and 118 00:07:04.319 --> 00:07:08.079 a stinger is a modified egg laying part, so only 119 00:07:08.199 --> 00:07:12.319 females have them. Now, these facts are helpful conversational distractions. 120 00:07:12.319 --> 00:07:14.759 If you ever see a carpenter bee and everyone around 121 00:07:14.759 --> 00:07:16.920 you are shrieking, just say, hey, this is a native 122 00:07:16.959 --> 00:07:20.040 bee and it's our friend. Now another native bee friend, 123 00:07:20.240 --> 00:07:24.279 which you can keep and rear in your yard. Mason bees. 124 00:07:24.600 --> 00:07:25.839 What's a mason bee? 125 00:07:26.000 --> 00:07:27.160 What's a mason bee? 126 00:07:27.360 --> 00:07:32.600 Mason Bees are solitary bees. They're known as the gentle pollinator. 127 00:07:33.120 --> 00:07:37.839 They're native. They're also called blue orchard mason bees, and 128 00:07:38.040 --> 00:07:42.399 they nest in these little tubes and they're super easy, 129 00:07:42.399 --> 00:07:45.120 and it's like you bee keeping for anybody. Anybody could 130 00:07:45.199 --> 00:07:49.120 keep mason bees. And they're just they're fuzzy and they're 131 00:07:49.199 --> 00:07:51.959 shiny and blue and cute, and you know when they're 132 00:07:52.000 --> 00:07:54.439 coming back to their nest, you can see little packs 133 00:07:54.439 --> 00:07:57.199 of pollen on their bellies bringing it back, and they're 134 00:07:57.240 --> 00:07:58.319 just they're really cute. 135 00:07:58.759 --> 00:08:03.759 So a non yellow, non striped bee, yes, they exist. 136 00:08:04.319 --> 00:08:06.800 There are a lot of them. So Mason bees are 137 00:08:06.800 --> 00:08:11.199 this really beautiful kind of gun metal blue color. And 138 00:08:11.319 --> 00:08:14.399 in a lot of the one million photos I just 139 00:08:14.439 --> 00:08:19.160 scrolled through while turning into a living, breathing, heart eyed emoji, 140 00:08:19.920 --> 00:08:23.000 Mason bees appeared to be covered in pollen a lots 141 00:08:23.040 --> 00:08:26.800 all over the place. I guess sloppy gatherers make really 142 00:08:26.839 --> 00:08:32.320 good pollinators, just like ah, like confetti pollen everywhere. And 143 00:08:32.399 --> 00:08:33.679 now what do you keep? 144 00:08:34.639 --> 00:08:40.360 I plant a lot of oregano, mint, lavender and stuff 145 00:08:40.360 --> 00:08:41.519 that's really easy to grow. 146 00:08:41.639 --> 00:08:43.639 This kind of blooms long season. 147 00:08:44.320 --> 00:08:48.000 Borage is a really great bee food and it's super 148 00:08:48.039 --> 00:08:49.200 easy to take care of. 149 00:08:49.600 --> 00:08:53.200 So maybe plant yourself a little garden or even a 150 00:08:53.240 --> 00:08:55.960 pot or two of flowers on a window box or 151 00:08:55.960 --> 00:08:59.480 a stoop. Those can be a wonderland for native bees 152 00:08:59.559 --> 00:09:02.919 or honey. Now, if you like, if that's just not 153 00:09:03.080 --> 00:09:06.200 enough bees, if you're like, I need thirty thousand bees. 154 00:09:06.480 --> 00:09:10.320 Maybe think about beekeeping like Amanda does. But before you 155 00:09:10.360 --> 00:09:12.480 go ordering a hole setup, which can set you back 156 00:09:12.480 --> 00:09:14.279 a few hundred bucks, you may want to check with 157 00:09:14.360 --> 00:09:17.759 a local beekeeper's association first because they can sometimes rent 158 00:09:17.879 --> 00:09:20.279 or lend equipment which is handy, or they can tell 159 00:09:20.320 --> 00:09:23.639 you which hive boxes or cool face nets attached to 160 00:09:23.679 --> 00:09:26.799 a hat are bunk and not to buy. Personally, I 161 00:09:26.840 --> 00:09:29.960 say biomadas, I think in the show notes, but this 162 00:09:30.000 --> 00:09:32.799 brings us to stings. Why do they hurt? 163 00:09:33.159 --> 00:09:33.240 So? 164 00:09:33.320 --> 00:09:37.799 B Venom contains a compound called melton, which makes red 165 00:09:37.840 --> 00:09:42.200 blood cells burst, which hurts, and there are other proteins 166 00:09:42.200 --> 00:09:47.039 that destroy cell membranes, cause pain, destroy nerve tissue. There's 167 00:09:47.080 --> 00:09:50.600 also histamine in b venom, which makes your capillaries leak 168 00:09:50.799 --> 00:09:55.159 and causes itchy welts. So when bees sting, they release 169 00:09:55.320 --> 00:09:59.559 a pheromone that says I'm in trubs. It's a last 170 00:09:59.639 --> 00:10:02.399 ditch defense. Bees don't want to see you, they don't 171 00:10:02.440 --> 00:10:05.240 want to die. They would really really rather very much not. 172 00:10:05.679 --> 00:10:09.600 So you prevent getting stung by just being really really 173 00:10:09.679 --> 00:10:11.480 kind of cautious about where they are at all times, 174 00:10:11.480 --> 00:10:13.840 like just kind of washing your back. Yes, okay, yes, 175 00:10:13.960 --> 00:10:17.159 and now when they're swarming, tell me what is happening. 176 00:10:17.600 --> 00:10:22.240 So a swarm is like a birth of a new colony, 177 00:10:23.320 --> 00:10:26.799 and it happens in the springtime when bees are you know, 178 00:10:26.879 --> 00:10:29.559 coming out of winter. The queen starts laying eggs, the 179 00:10:29.600 --> 00:10:32.879 colony starts, they get brooding up, they start ramping up 180 00:10:32.919 --> 00:10:39.360 their their population production, and so they'll make new queens 181 00:10:39.759 --> 00:10:42.679 to prepare for the swarm. And so when the new 182 00:10:42.799 --> 00:10:46.759 queens emerge, the old queen leaves the hive with about 183 00:10:46.799 --> 00:10:49.759 half of the bees and they go off to find 184 00:10:50.000 --> 00:10:51.000 a new place to live. 185 00:10:51.360 --> 00:10:54.080 Oh that's actually, that's fascinating because I always thought that 186 00:10:54.120 --> 00:10:56.519 it was a new queen that was like a bye No, 187 00:10:56.720 --> 00:10:58.559 But really it's the old one that's like the old one. 188 00:10:58.639 --> 00:10:59.000 Yeah. 189 00:10:59.240 --> 00:11:03.399 Side note fun fact. When a bee colony is naturally occurring, 190 00:11:03.679 --> 00:11:06.120 it's called a nest, but when it's in a human 191 00:11:06.240 --> 00:11:08.440 made container, then it's a hive. 192 00:11:08.840 --> 00:11:09.399 Is that fun? 193 00:11:09.759 --> 00:11:13.320 So where do these old queens go after they bounce 194 00:11:13.519 --> 00:11:18.320 from their former colony? Well, apparently hollows in trees are 195 00:11:18.440 --> 00:11:23.519 like just ideal new digs. And Amanda says, hollows and 196 00:11:23.559 --> 00:11:27.919 trees are insulated. It's in a live ecosystem. It has 197 00:11:27.960 --> 00:11:31.720 a microbiome that's beneficial to them, so a great place 198 00:11:31.879 --> 00:11:35.559 to rear tens of thousands of babies. But how do 199 00:11:35.639 --> 00:11:37.240 they do that? What are they eating? 200 00:11:37.639 --> 00:11:41.200 The bee goes out and grather the's some nectar and 201 00:11:41.279 --> 00:11:42.600 they use their tongue. 202 00:11:42.600 --> 00:11:45.120 They're probascus. It's like a straw. 203 00:11:46.799 --> 00:11:49.519 And they suck that up and the honey goes in 204 00:11:49.720 --> 00:11:52.720 or the nectar goes into their honey stomach, so it's 205 00:11:52.759 --> 00:11:56.159 a secondary stomach that they have, okay, And they carry 206 00:11:56.200 --> 00:11:57.679 it in that and when they bring it back to 207 00:11:57.720 --> 00:12:01.440 the hive, they do this thing called trophilacis, and it's 208 00:12:02.200 --> 00:12:08.559 they're regurgitating the nectar into another bee's mouth. Oh, and 209 00:12:08.840 --> 00:12:11.360 they pass it back and forth, and each time they 210 00:12:11.440 --> 00:12:15.200 do this they're adding enzymes to it. It reduces the 211 00:12:15.240 --> 00:12:17.879 moisture content of the nectar a little bit, because the 212 00:12:17.919 --> 00:12:22.200 nectar is very high in moisture, and so before it 213 00:12:22.240 --> 00:12:25.240 can become true honey, they have to bring that moisture 214 00:12:25.320 --> 00:12:28.960 content down quite a bit. So after they pass it 215 00:12:29.039 --> 00:12:33.440 back and forth, they'll put it into a little honeycomb 216 00:12:33.519 --> 00:12:36.000 cell and they fill that up and then they use 217 00:12:36.039 --> 00:12:40.759 their wings to sort of flap and get the air 218 00:12:40.840 --> 00:12:45.919 moving and reduce the moisture content. Ideally for harvested honey, 219 00:12:46.399 --> 00:12:49.639 seventeen percent is the most moisture that you'd want to 220 00:12:49.679 --> 00:12:52.320 have for it. Oh and then they cover it with 221 00:12:52.399 --> 00:12:56.000 wax and so it stays fresh forever. 222 00:12:56.120 --> 00:12:59.399 Really, what are they using the honey for? How are 223 00:12:59.399 --> 00:13:01.279 they using that ney to feed a brood? 224 00:13:01.559 --> 00:13:07.320 They feed their brood pollen? Okay, so when they're collecting pollen, 225 00:13:07.799 --> 00:13:10.360 they're bringing that back to the hive and they're adding 226 00:13:10.879 --> 00:13:13.080 enzymes to it just sort of ferment it. 227 00:13:13.519 --> 00:13:17.799 And it's called bee bread. Oh I didn't know that, Yes. 228 00:13:17.799 --> 00:13:22.840 Bee bread, And so they'll feed that to their babies 229 00:13:23.240 --> 00:13:25.559 and it's a protein source. 230 00:13:25.679 --> 00:13:27.559 Got it. So then what's the honey used for for 231 00:13:27.600 --> 00:13:28.799 the adults they eat it? 232 00:13:28.919 --> 00:13:31.720 Yeah, it gives them energy. It's to carbohydrate and it 233 00:13:31.759 --> 00:13:33.240 sustains them through the winter. 234 00:13:34.080 --> 00:13:34.240 Oh. 235 00:13:34.279 --> 00:13:37.919 So are they collecting it more in spring and summer 236 00:13:38.000 --> 00:13:39.639 and then living off of it in the winter. 237 00:13:39.840 --> 00:13:40.120 Yes? 238 00:13:40.639 --> 00:13:44.600 Yeah, and before a swarming event they fill up on it. 239 00:13:44.679 --> 00:13:47.320 Everybody fills out before they leave the hive because they 240 00:13:47.399 --> 00:13:50.600 need they need that energy for when they get to 241 00:13:50.679 --> 00:13:54.919 their new home location to build comb. You know, because 242 00:13:54.960 --> 00:13:57.279 they won't have any comb where they're going unless they're 243 00:13:57.279 --> 00:14:00.879 moving into an old beehive, so they have to start 244 00:14:00.879 --> 00:14:01.559 from scratch. 245 00:14:01.840 --> 00:14:04.399 So now that I have heard the buzz about how 246 00:14:04.440 --> 00:14:08.679 honeybees eat, I needed to ask about their colonies' social setup. 247 00:14:09.000 --> 00:14:14.039 Who's overworked and bitter, who's popular, who's good with kids. 248 00:14:14.440 --> 00:14:17.879 It turns out every honeybee colony has roles that different 249 00:14:17.960 --> 00:14:23.639 bees inhabit, including her highness Queen Bee. And there is 250 00:14:24.080 --> 00:14:28.519 a queen, there are the female workers, and then there 251 00:14:28.519 --> 00:14:32.440 are the drones, right yes, and so how do they 252 00:14:32.480 --> 00:14:33.879 determine who is the queen? 253 00:14:34.759 --> 00:14:39.480 The queen is made a queen when she's still an 254 00:14:39.559 --> 00:14:46.440 egg three days old egg, and the change happens when 255 00:14:46.600 --> 00:14:51.279 they start feeding her. She's only fed royal jelly, so 256 00:14:51.279 --> 00:14:55.320 she doesn't get any bee bread. She's deprived of protein 257 00:14:55.559 --> 00:14:59.919 during her development, and that is what makes her a queen. 258 00:15:00.600 --> 00:15:02.879 Because she's deprived of She's given. 259 00:15:02.720 --> 00:15:08.120 A totally different diet and so that somehow changes her. 260 00:15:08.279 --> 00:15:11.519 She grows differently than the worker bee. 261 00:15:11.559 --> 00:15:13.120 And what's royal jelly exactly? 262 00:15:13.559 --> 00:15:18.080 Royal jelly is this enzyme that the bees, they have, 263 00:15:18.159 --> 00:15:22.360 these glands that they oh, they screat it yeah. 264 00:15:22.200 --> 00:15:24.360 So that comes from a bee face and not from 265 00:15:24.120 --> 00:15:28.440 a bee face, and so do a lot of different 266 00:15:28.440 --> 00:15:32.200 workers like contribute to that or is it yeah, nurse. 267 00:15:32.279 --> 00:15:36.399 So what happens is, you know, if a bee lives 268 00:15:36.480 --> 00:15:39.000 out its full life cycle, it will achieve all of 269 00:15:39.039 --> 00:15:44.080 the different jobs within a colony. Oh, and they start 270 00:15:44.120 --> 00:15:47.120 out as nurse bees. So when they first are born, 271 00:15:47.399 --> 00:15:50.720 they come out and they start tending the young and 272 00:15:50.919 --> 00:15:56.679 the larvae. And then there's food processor bees. There's cleaning 273 00:15:56.720 --> 00:15:59.200 bees because they like to keep their high really clean. 274 00:16:00.039 --> 00:16:02.840 And the last stage is the foraging bees. Those are 275 00:16:02.879 --> 00:16:05.679 the most experienced bees, and they go out and are 276 00:16:05.720 --> 00:16:07.840 the ones that we see in the gardens. And so 277 00:16:08.519 --> 00:16:12.039 let's say they make five queens and they all emerge 278 00:16:12.600 --> 00:16:16.879 around the same time. They will call each other out. 279 00:16:17.080 --> 00:16:20.240 They do this thing called piping, and so they it 280 00:16:20.320 --> 00:16:23.000 kind of sounds like a kazoo. They'll call to each 281 00:16:23.039 --> 00:16:25.440 other and then they'll fight side note. 282 00:16:25.480 --> 00:16:29.279 So the first queen out starts roaming around making this 283 00:16:29.480 --> 00:16:34.360 noise in g sharp it's called piping or tooting. It's 284 00:16:34.399 --> 00:16:38.000 like me, me me. Now a few of her sisters 285 00:16:38.200 --> 00:16:40.240 who have also been raised to be queens, but are 286 00:16:40.279 --> 00:16:43.080 still sleeping in they're little cells. They're just snoozed a 287 00:16:43.120 --> 00:16:47.200 little longer. They respond with a noise called quacking. It 288 00:16:47.240 --> 00:17:04.839 sounds like a dut honk. It's kind of like Marco Polo, 289 00:17:05.079 --> 00:17:08.480 but with newborns now Here's the thing when the sleepy 290 00:17:08.559 --> 00:17:12.680 queens quack back at the first one, that first one's like, oh, 291 00:17:12.680 --> 00:17:15.039 there you are, and then goes and kills them. And 292 00:17:15.160 --> 00:17:17.559 does she have a stinger or does she because I 293 00:17:17.559 --> 00:17:19.440 know a stinger is an ova positive. 294 00:17:19.480 --> 00:17:22.640 That she does have a stinger, but it's not barbed 295 00:17:23.079 --> 00:17:26.279 like a worker stinger, so she can use it in battle, 296 00:17:27.000 --> 00:17:31.559 but it's not like the worker's stinger with the venom sack. 297 00:17:31.799 --> 00:17:36.559 Also, fun fact, unlike honeybee workers who would sting and 298 00:17:36.640 --> 00:17:40.640 die to defend their colony, most native solitary bees are 299 00:17:40.680 --> 00:17:45.200 not quick to sting. So embrace your native bees, but 300 00:17:45.240 --> 00:17:48.160 not literally. They don't need hugs, but they do need 301 00:17:48.200 --> 00:17:51.839 flowers to rop around and to shower themselves in pollen. 302 00:17:52.240 --> 00:17:54.720 Why are workers and drones fuzzy. 303 00:17:55.559 --> 00:17:59.640 It's my understanding that the workers have fuzz because it 304 00:17:59.680 --> 00:18:00.880 helps them to gather. 305 00:18:01.000 --> 00:18:02.720 The pollen will stick to them. 306 00:18:02.759 --> 00:18:05.680 They get a little bit staticky and sticky, and it 307 00:18:05.720 --> 00:18:07.799 will stick to their fuzz and then they can clean 308 00:18:07.839 --> 00:18:09.519 it off and sort of push it into their little 309 00:18:09.680 --> 00:18:10.599 pollen packets. 310 00:18:11.079 --> 00:18:14.440 So imagine if your breakfast cereal just stuck to your 311 00:18:14.440 --> 00:18:16.759 clothes and then you just kind of swiped it into 312 00:18:16.880 --> 00:18:20.680 a couple of cargo pants pockets. See your bee now 313 00:18:20.720 --> 00:18:24.039 onto honeybe keeping. I am a little hazy on how 314 00:18:24.200 --> 00:18:29.000 smoke can calm down honeybees? Can Mandy clear the air 315 00:18:29.240 --> 00:18:32.480 for me? And now the smoke, you're essentially the smoke monster. 316 00:18:32.880 --> 00:18:37.599 You're like, they fall asleep, they get drowsy, so it 317 00:18:37.720 --> 00:18:44.119 confuses them. It masks their pheromones. So if they're really feisty, 318 00:18:44.240 --> 00:18:46.319 you can put a little smoke on them and it 319 00:18:47.279 --> 00:18:51.039 subdues their sense of smell. But it also tricks them 320 00:18:51.200 --> 00:18:54.039 into thinking the hive is on fire. We got a 321 00:18:54.079 --> 00:18:56.200 load up on honey and get out of dodge. 322 00:18:56.319 --> 00:18:57.079 Oh wow. 323 00:18:57.960 --> 00:19:00.400 How do they know where they're new home is? Do 324 00:19:00.480 --> 00:19:01.599 they have GPS? 325 00:19:01.920 --> 00:19:02.119 No? 326 00:19:02.519 --> 00:19:06.279 But they do get directions from their sisters via Yes, 327 00:19:06.839 --> 00:19:09.559 interpretive dance. That's not what you thought I was gonna say, right, 328 00:19:10.079 --> 00:19:13.279 I know it's shocking, So it's not some dance you 329 00:19:13.400 --> 00:19:16.440 do at weddings or on cruise ships or on TikTok. 330 00:19:16.680 --> 00:19:21.880 It's actually a form of physical communication called a waggle dance. 331 00:19:22.160 --> 00:19:23.519 I am not making this up. 332 00:19:23.880 --> 00:19:28.880 So with the waggle dance, they're communicating locations of food, water, 333 00:19:29.039 --> 00:19:32.880 or even in a new place to live. And the 334 00:19:32.960 --> 00:19:36.640 orientation of the direction that they're doing the dance in 335 00:19:37.200 --> 00:19:41.039 correlates with where the sun is at whoa, So they're 336 00:19:41.039 --> 00:19:44.640 following the sun and they're using their waggle dance to 337 00:19:44.720 --> 00:19:48.359 tell you which direction, Like if the sun is you know, 338 00:19:48.519 --> 00:19:52.160 do east, they'll do their dance do East. And then 339 00:19:53.160 --> 00:19:58.079 the intensity of the waggle tells you how good of 340 00:19:58.119 --> 00:19:59.079 a source it is. 341 00:19:59.480 --> 00:20:01.160 I just want to s say, I have been known 342 00:20:01.279 --> 00:20:03.279 to do a little dance at the first bite of 343 00:20:03.319 --> 00:20:05.480 a great sandwich, So I get it. It happens to 344 00:20:05.519 --> 00:20:07.799 the best of us. Now really quick. Speaking of the 345 00:20:07.799 --> 00:20:10.519 best of us, each week a cause gets a donation, 346 00:20:10.680 --> 00:20:13.400 and this week we are splitting it between the Xerxe 347 00:20:13.519 --> 00:20:17.079 Society and the Pollinator Partnership, and there will be links 348 00:20:17.119 --> 00:20:19.200 to those in the show notes, and also Mandy's about 349 00:20:19.200 --> 00:20:21.039 to tell you a little bit about them. And those 350 00:20:21.240 --> 00:20:23.440 donations are made possible by sponsors. 351 00:20:23.000 --> 00:20:25.720 In the When it's time to consider a new car, 352 00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:28.759 it's time to take a leap, a leap forward with 353 00:20:28.880 --> 00:20:34.160 class eating speck and cutting edge technology without compromise. More choice, 354 00:20:34.359 --> 00:20:39.079 more space, more style, more for you, like the all 355 00:20:39.200 --> 00:20:43.400 new B ten with premium comfort and seamless connectivity built 356 00:20:43.440 --> 00:20:47.200 for every road from your daily commute to weekend adventures. 357 00:20:47.680 --> 00:20:49.119 So what are you waiting for? 358 00:20:49.359 --> 00:20:54.000 Take the leap leap motor, a leap forward, Mom? 359 00:20:54.160 --> 00:20:56.200 Why do they call it Scottish cheese? 360 00:20:56.400 --> 00:20:59.000 It's cottage cheese, honey, And I'm not sure. 361 00:20:59.319 --> 00:21:02.279 Doug's in a the country speak different languages. 362 00:21:02.480 --> 00:21:05.319 Yeah, I think so when when we get there, Well, 363 00:21:05.359 --> 00:21:06.799 we've got to fix the car first. 364 00:21:06.839 --> 00:21:08.279 But there's someone coming to help us. 365 00:21:08.480 --> 00:21:10.279 Is it the man from Geneva? 366 00:21:10.319 --> 00:21:13.039 Not Geneva, he's from Aviva. 367 00:21:13.119 --> 00:21:14.200 Oh there's a van now. 368 00:21:14.599 --> 00:21:17.599 For car insurance with breakdown rescue, it takes a Viva 369 00:21:17.880 --> 00:21:20.440 visit a Viva Dotta eat to say fifteen percent. 370 00:21:20.319 --> 00:21:23.359 Acceptance criteria, terms and conditions apply. Minimum premium of three 371 00:21:23.440 --> 00:21:25.559 hundred and ten year old. Fifteen percent discant applies to 372 00:21:25.599 --> 00:21:29.039 new policies BottomLine see Aviva Dotta ev details. Car insurance 373 00:21:29.079 --> 00:21:31.920 is undwritten by Aviva Insurance Arland duc Aviva Direct Arland 374 00:21:31.960 --> 00:21:34.119 Limited is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. 375 00:21:34.240 --> 00:21:37.440 Oh, who you may hear about now? Okay, onto your 376 00:21:37.519 --> 00:21:41.799 questions lightning round. This one is about native bees. Eric 377 00:21:41.880 --> 00:21:44.200 Lonk wants to know. I want to help Bezi area. 378 00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:46.759 What's a good resource to find out the proper wildflowers 379 00:21:46.759 --> 00:21:47.440 to plant for them? 380 00:21:47.920 --> 00:21:52.599 I would go to the local extension department at the 381 00:21:52.680 --> 00:21:58.480 University Jersey Society has a lot of resources. Pollinator Partnership 382 00:21:58.559 --> 00:22:00.960 also has a lot of resource so you can find 383 00:22:01.000 --> 00:22:02.359 what's growing in your area. 384 00:22:02.559 --> 00:22:06.160 And John Worcester and Jessepo both had the same question. Well, 385 00:22:06.200 --> 00:22:08.480 eating honey that's been harvested locally help if you have 386 00:22:08.559 --> 00:22:09.519 seasonal allergies. 387 00:22:10.319 --> 00:22:13.440 Word on the street is that it does so. 388 00:22:13.400 --> 00:22:16.480 It gets your body used to maybe those pollens exactly. 389 00:22:16.599 --> 00:22:19.640 Okay, I'm not an allergist, but yes, it's like you're 390 00:22:19.680 --> 00:22:25.440 inoculating yourself with the irritant and your immune system adjusted 391 00:22:25.480 --> 00:22:28.319 to that, rather than taking an anti histamine to just 392 00:22:28.359 --> 00:22:30.799 suppress any kind of response. 393 00:22:31.079 --> 00:22:33.519 Katie Grant wants to know are bees actually more attracted 394 00:22:33.519 --> 00:22:36.000 to bright yellow clothing? I wear a safety vest for 395 00:22:36.039 --> 00:22:38.200 work and was told that an orange vest won't attract 396 00:22:38.200 --> 00:22:39.200 bees like a yellow one does. 397 00:22:39.240 --> 00:22:43.400 This is true in my own personal experience. When I 398 00:22:43.480 --> 00:22:47.079 wear my bright yellow coat, I do have bees land 399 00:22:47.119 --> 00:22:47.359 on me. 400 00:22:47.759 --> 00:22:48.240 Wow. 401 00:22:49.519 --> 00:22:52.599