Sure they sting, but – like most living creatures – honey bees were created with a built-in defense mechanism. Without that stinger, they would not be able to defend themselves while nectar is collected from flowers and stored inside honeycombs, ultimately resulting in an age-old substance considered “liquid gold” and “food of the gods” since ancient Egyptian and biblical times.
This time of year, honey bees are in full work mode. They fly out daily from their hives and seek to find flowering plants, typically within a three-mile radius, that are rich in sugary nectar, according to the beekeeping periodical, Bee Culture, which featured last October detailed information about the worker bees’ routine: “Simply put, a honey bee sucks the nectar through their proboscis — a straw-like tongue — which traverses down into their ‘honey stomach.’ As they forage, fluffy pollen gathers on their body and is packed in ‘baskets’ on their rear legs, which are striking when full.”
