A healthy hive can produce about 100 pounds of honey annually.
A healthy hive produces only about 2 pounds of harvestable wax annually.
There are three types of bees in each hive: Drones, Workers and Queen.
Each hive contains only one Queen. 85% are workers and 15% are Drones.
Drones are male whose only job is to fertilize the Queen’s eggs.
Workers are females and are responsible for all day to day chores in the hive.
A queen’s life expectancy can be 3-5 years.
Worker bee life expectancy is 6 weeks in busy summer and 4-9 months during winter months.
Drone life expectancy is 90 days during summer months. They are expelled from the hive during winter months.
Honey bees account for 80% of all insect pollination.
Bees produce more than honey and wax:
Propolis
A Sticky resin mixed with wax to repair hives. It is also used as a health aid and the basis for fine furniture polishes.
Bee Venom
Used to treat ailments such as Arthritis, Neuralgia, High Blood Pressure and Multiple Sclerosis.
Royal Jelly
Substance secreted by worker bees that turns an ordinary bee into a queen bee. Humans use it as a dietary supplement and fertility stimulant whose price rivals that of caviar.
Pollen
An average hive collects about 66 pounds of pollen per year. It is used to counter allergies and as an energy booster.