ALBANY, NEW YORK 42°39’09.3”N 73°45’22.4”W
“There is so much beauty in all these tiny interactions that together create such a big impact.”
The Workers
The workers may not have quite as dramatic of a start as the queen, but they have important duties to keep the colony running. A worker bee goes through many roles throughout its life, and these roles are typically determined by age. Her first task as a worker bee is cleaning the cell she just emerged from and then helping her neighbors to do the same. As she gets older, some of the other tasks she may do include feeding the baby larvae, building wax comb, tending to the queen, storing nectar and pollen, temperature management, guarding entrances, and finally finishing her life as a forager making the perilous long journeys outside of the hive for resources every day. She will fly and fly, collecting nectar and pollen for her hive while importantly pollinating flowers and helping them to create seeds along the way. For all of their hard work, each bee on average creates only 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in their entire life; it sure is precious! Eventually, their little bodies can’t fly anymore. You can tell a bee is reaching the end of their lifespan when they look tattered and all of the fuzz has worn off—a sign of a life well lived.
We Need Bees
With their complex social structures and amazingly intricate behaviors, honey bees are amazing creatures that can teach us the value in community, work ethic, and a deep appreciation for the delicate balances of nature. We need bees, and they need us. Honey bees are one of over 20,000 species of bees worldwide that are facing increasing stress- ors from habitat loss and pesticide usage. We must support them and keep our tiniest friends in mind for conversations about sustainability.
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MOTHER VOLUME TWO
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