A Swiss apiarist has revealed why young worker bees prefer to stay inside the hive.
Thomas Laubscher manages 50 honeybee colonies in and around Corgémont, a small town near Bern in northwestern Switzerland.
The beekeeping enthusiast explained: “The bees we can watch buzzing around our flowers are worker bees towards the end of their lives. The younger ones generally don’t leave the hive.
“They engage in internal services such as feeding and sustaining the colony.”
Speaking to broadcaster RJB, Thomas revealed the reason for this share of responsibilities.
The self-proclaimed semi-professional beekeeper and breeder explained: “The young ones want to avoid getting caught by birds in mid-flight.”
Thomas, who admits getting stung around 100 times per year, harvested more than 1,000 kilogrammes of honey in 2022.
Domesticated bees do not just produce honey and beeswax. Their pollination activity is profoundly important to ecosystems as well as the production of food.
Switzerland has 8.6 million inhabitants. More than 17,000 of them engage in beekeeping.
The renowned US American Mayo Clinic informs in a fact sheet: “There are about 320 different varieties of honey, which vary in colour, odour and flavour.
“Honey contains mostly sugar, as well as a mix of amino acids, vitamins, minerals, iron, zinc and antioxidants.”
These ingredients make the substance a popular application not just as a sweetener but also to treat coughs and burns.
