Julie Rice, beekeeper at Indian Creek Nature Center, delivered a presentation on honey bees at Cole Library, Tuesday, July 23. The event was part of Cole Library’s summer reading program and geared towards families.

Rice said there are numerous types of bees, including mason, sweat and other bees that are pollinators, but her work has focused on the honeybee.

Rice explained the difference between queen bees, drones and worker bees.

Queen bees are responsible for laying the eggs for the hive, laying up to 2,000 eggs in a day.

As Rice pointed out the larva in the honey cells, Jill said “I know about those, I’ve learned about eggs before!”

Drones are important to a honeybee nest, as they are responsible for mating with the queen once in her life. They are a little larger and fatter than others in the hives.

“If you are ever scared of seeing a bee because you will be stung, have someone show you a drone bee, as they are the bees who do not have a stinger,” Rice said.

Worker bees are responsible for a lot of the work in the hive. They collect nectar, keep hive cool, clean the hive from dead bees or debris. A hive can have upwards of 50,000 bees or more at any one time.

They also have the shortest life span, roughly just a few weeks in the entirety.

Honeybees wings stroke 11,400 times per minute.

“That’s what makes the sound of the buzz they are known for, is the speed of their wings flapping,” Rice said.

From an egg, it takes roughly three minutes for a larva to develop.

When honeybees are first born, they are responsible for cleaning the cell for the queen to lay new eggs.

As they get older, they are responsible for feeding the new bees. As they get older, they are responsible for building the beeswax that protects the honey and the bee larva inside.

Cathy Boggs asked why honeycombs are hexagonal in shape.

“It’s one of the structurally strong shapes with the least amount of energy to construct,” Rice said.

They also eventually get old enough to help protect the hive from attackers like people.

“Or bears,” Calvin said. “Because bears like honey.”

Rice explained that if the attacker is smaller, honeybees will cover the attacker to generate heat to basically cook that attacker. When it comes to items like bears or humans, they will attack and sting to try and thwart the attacker.

She explained that bees do not sting unless it is extremely necessary, because the process of doing so will eventually kill those bees.

Bees eventually will be responsible for collecting the nectar and pollen from flowers responsible for the honey needed for hive.

“Honey is one of the foodstuffs that will never spoil,” Rice said.

Jill explained that honey is one of the remedies she has been given for a cold.

“Honey is great for allergies,” Rice said.

Rice explained how she uses some of her tools to do work on hives, including using a smoker and bee suit.

Smoke helps to make bees more complacent by hiding the pheromones they send warning of an attacker or the bees will collect honey in case there is a fire they are running from, making them more complacent as well.

She explained that it is important to keep the frames in a hive clear to allow the bees to continue to grow the hive. If a hive gets too large for the space they have, bees may swarm to find a new location to build a hive.

One of the last tools she uses is a brush, which allows her to move several bees off a frame and back into the hive.

Rice said one of her jobs is to inspect the hives throughout the spring and summer, especially to make sure that mites are not infesting the nest, which can contribute to colony collapse disorder.

During the fall, she reserves a good chunk of honey for the bees to help the hive weather the cold winter. She may also give supplemental resources.

Kirsten and Scott Morris and their children were among the attendees. The Morris family recently moved to the area from South Korea. Kirsten and Scott originally met on a lecture on honeybees 12 years ago.