Honeybees are the prime pollinators for vegetables, flowers, and fruits. When they pollinate, they help many plants grow big and strong. In addition, they transfer pollen between the male and female parts, which lets the plants produce seeds and fruit.
Bees are abundant in Las Vegas, helping to pollinate and maintain our city's beauty. Many of our residents also enjoy growing fruits and veggies in their gardens and planting flowers.
If you ever go to a Star Nursery out here, they are always busy with people selecting everything under the sun to grow in their yards.
When people choose plants that provide pollen and nectar, they help out more than they usually know. So, we love you all for your wise plant selections.
We grow tomatoes and peppers in our backyard. This year, they are producing like crazy because of the number of bees attracted to our watering stations.
If your garden isn't growing lots of veggies, add a shallow watering area close to your garden. They will find it, and in return, they will pollinate your garden for you.
We're all doing our part to protect bees and their hard work pollinating our world's food supply, cities, towns, backyards, and all points in between. We appreciate how everyone works together to save these helpful little wonders.
First, however, we need to protect them from climate change, and Vegas Bees' no-kill beehive removal and rescue services will keep their populations alive and thriving.
Honeybees are some of the best dancers in the insect world.
They share information and locations of plentiful food and water sources by doing their "waggle dance."
When workers return to the hive, they waggle their bodies and make a figure-8 pattern to communicate the direction and distance of the food or water source to the rest of the colony.
We see the "tremble dance" when we put out plates of trimmed honey and combs from bee removal jobs.
Foragers will be full of nectar and start making vibrating movements to tell receivers to get more help to collect the incoming nectar and to slow the rate of collecting nectar from an abundant source.
These honeybee colonies can be tiny or very large, depending on where they build their nests and the laying power of the queen bee. As a result, three types of bees perform all the jobs and responsibilities, and there is plenty of work.
I mean, building the Egyptian pyramids amount of work!
The most common types of bees and wasps here in Las Vegas are honeybees and yellow jackets. However, yellow jackets are terrible dancers.
If you want a great book about honeybees and their lives, we highly recommend "Honeybee Democracy." Written by Thomas Seeley. Many thought-provoking stories contain helpful information, whether you are a beekeeper or just interested in bees.
Bee City: A Model of Efficiency
As a beekeeper, I'm always impressed by the well organized system within a beehive. It functions much like a small bee city, with each bee playing a vital role. Studying how beehives operate can offer us interesting ideas for improving our own communities.
A City with Defined Roles
Just like a bustling metropolis, Bee City is filled with bees who each have a specific job. This clear division of labor is key to the hive's success. Every bee, from the queen to the worker, plays a crucial role in keeping things running smoothly.
The Queen: Leader and Life Source
The queen bee is the heart of Bee City. Imagine her as the revered leader, inspiring awe and respect. She's responsible for the hive's population boom, laying a staggering 2,000 eggs a day!
Her presence keeps the colony functioning smoothly, and her influence is undeniable.
Chemical Communication: The Power of Pheromones
The queen doesn't bark orders – she communicates through chemicals called pheromones. As she moves around the hive, she leaves a scent trail that tells the worker bees everything they need to know. It's like a silent language that keeps the whole city informed.
The Worker Bees: The Busy Backbone
The real workhorses of Bee City are the worker bees. Their constant buzzing is a symphony of productivity. From building honeycomb homes to collecting pollen groceries and raising the next generation, these tireless bees are essential for the hive's survival.
Every day is a whirlwind of activity, driven by their dedication to the good of the colony.
The Amazing Language of Bees
Have you ever watched bees dance? Their waggle dance is a fascinating way they communicate the location of food and water sources to each other!
This complex dance isn't just random wiggling - the direction and duration of the waggle actually tells other bees how far and in what direction to fly to find the goodies.
It's a language unlike anything found in other insects, showing an impressive level of communication for such tiny creatures.
Workers vs. Drones: A Tale of Two Roles
While worker bees are the picture of selfless service, always busy gathering resources for the hive, drone bees have a very different purpose. These males live only to mate with the queen and ensure future generations.
They may seem lazy compared to their hardworking sisters, but their role is crucial for the colony's survival.
The Winter Eviction: A Necessary Sacrifice
As winter approaches, things take a dramatic turn. Drones are forced out of the hive, their short lives sacrificed for the colony's good. This might seem harsh, but it's a practical decision.
Kicking out the drones conserves precious food stores that are vital for the remaining bees to survive during the cold months of winter.
Lessons from the Hive
My experiences beekeeping have opened my eyes to some profound truths. Every bee, no matter how small, plays a vital role in the hive's success. It's like a perfectly synchronized clock, where each specialized bee works together for the good of the entire colony.
Building a Better Society: Inspired by Bees
What if we could learn from the bees? Imagine human societies that functioned with the same harmonious unity. By valuing individual strengths and encouraging everyone to contribute their unique talents, we could create communities that thrive through collaboration, just like a beehive!
We watch many different beekeepers on YouTube, and these are just a few that we enjoy the most. Some do bee removals, while others educate us on bees and beekeeping.
Many other channels are well done. You can look around to find what interests you. We have learned so much from these amazing people and their informative videos.
Mr. Ed / Jeff Horchoff Bees: Mr. Ed with the dream team of Good Time Charlie and Wreck-It Ralph. Mr. Ed and his team are pros and have much fun working with each other. Thank you, Jesus, for this excellent beekeeping channel.
628 Dirt Rooster: What can we say about the Dirt Rooster? We love his beekeeping and bee removal videos. They are always funny, entertaining, raw, and informational.
The Dirt Rooster is bold, usually not using any protective equipment around the bees. He gets his share of stings, but nowhere near as bad as you would think. We highly recommend you check out his videos.
We get very excited when we get notified that he put up a new video. And, of course, the Dirt Rooster saves the bees!
Texas Beeworks: Today was a great day of saving the bees says it all. She loves to scoop the bees in her hands, which is her trademark move.
Vegas Bees YouTube: Our Vegas Bees channel with fun stuff. We include both good and bad videos—lots of bee stuff.
When we go to a bee removal job, we first find the location of the bees and their hive. It sounds obvious, and it is.
When you see the bees and where they are entering and exiting, you already know what is ahead with the removal and rescue. Now the planning and equipment hauling begins. We at Vegas Bees leave nothing to chance and always come to the party prepared!
This one can be tricky as there may and will be many issues we must deal with at a bee removal. We have learned to expect the unexpected.
You have to develop creative, on-the-spot solutions for many bee removals.
We should list many more concerns, but these are the most common. This outline gives you some insight into what bee removal can entail.
The colony size always makes a difference when removing honey bees. Will you be working with a giant nest or a small one? Since they are both handled differently, your game plan needs to be flexible and change as it needs to, which leads up to our final issue.
Most beekeepers use boxes of two different sizes for bee removal.
They are a five-frame "nuc" box or a ten-frame deep box. The colony size and the number of combs will tell us which to use.
Since you never want to use a small box with a giant hive, the same applies to a large box with a small beehive.
When arriving at a bee removal, you must have both on hand, as you can't know the size without seeing it yourself.
You will also need some frames with foundation and many without foundation. We use foundation-less frame structures the most, as they are what the combs will go into and be attached to with rubber bands.
However, it would help if you had many on hand to avoid destroying any combs. Again, it is always best to be prepared to rescue everything.
Once the bees are all in the box, you must leave it there for a day or two. This time frame helps ensure all the bees find their way back to their new home and the colony is reunited. That's the Vegas Bees' way.
Learn about our wonderful, busy bees.
October is the time here in Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada, to get your bees ready for their long winter nap.
If they need more resources, you will have to feed them so they don't starve during this time of need.
We have feeders and sugar water ready for them. This year we may even make fondant for the bees.
We have never tried this type of feeding, but many beekeepers are big fans of it.
Las Vegas winters are generally mild, and we don't want any bee popsicles this winter!
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