The World of Bees

Tonight, I'll take you into the wonderful world of bees. I tell you about the most famous social species, the western honey bee, but there are thousands more, and not all of them are social. We will also discover solitary species like carpenter bees, mason bees, or leafcutter bees. Other species are parasitic brood, like the cuckoo bumblebee. Apart from these, eusocial species live in elaborate societies in which all individuals are specialized by function and only live for and thanks to the nest they belong to. The way they collect pollen and nectar, and their production of beeswax, honey, and royal jelly, all serve to ensure the survival and development of the hive.