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O
OCEANVIEW wildlife
rganisations and individuals
are working hard to encour-
age the bee population and
reintroduce species that have all but
disappeared from our countryside.
Bees, although they have the
potential to sting, are passive and
hardworking insects. For many
species, using their sting damages
their abdomen to the extent that it
meanscertaindeath,sotheywillonly
sting if they are already in mortal
danger in an attempt to protect other
bees.Theyaresocialcreatureswitha
complex language of movements
and an intricate social hierarchy.The
sheer organisation of beehives ranks
them amongst the most intelligent
creatures on the planet.
There are more than two thousand them has been discovered relatively
species of bee, and less than ten of recently. Bees’ eyes are particularly
them produce honey. However, it is fascinating:theycanseeinfullcolour
this ability which has earned bees a with the exception of red; they see
place in human culture throughout three hundred ‘frames’ per second
history: paintings depicting people and have five eyes – three simple
gathering honey from bees have eyes and two ‘compound’ eyes
beenfoundtodateback10,000years. consisting of thousands of lenses.To
Beekeeping is documented to have protect these delicate optics, most
originated in Ancient Egypt and species of bee have hairs on their
China as long as 6000 years ago. eyes!
Honey is valued not only for its A bee’s sense of touch, taste and
sweettastebutforitsmedicinalprop- smell is also more acute than the
erties. The antibacterial nature of average human’s, although it’s
propolis, a hive by-product which is thought they can’t hear, instead
found in honey, has been used in sensing vibrations through the
natural medicine for centuries and delicate hairs they collect pollen on.
has been scientifically proven in the If this has sparked your interest,
last couple of years. Topical use of there are locations across the UK
honey promotes fast, clean wound where you can see working beehives
healing and ingesting it has a range and learn more about the insects
of health benefits, thought to include their lives and the many fascinating
soothing sore throats, improving the products they have enabled us to
immune system, lowering the make throughout history.
chances of cataracts, helping
digestion and aiding recovery from
viruses.
“Thesheerorganisationofbeehivesranks
Because of their delicate nature, the
themamongsttheMOSTINTELLIGENT
study of bees is a precise art form
and much of what we know about CREATURESontheplant.”
PAGE11 AUTUMN2009
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