{"id":10939,"date":"2018-05-07T06:30:39","date_gmt":"2018-05-07T10:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=10939"},"modified":"2018-05-07T11:12:14","modified_gmt":"2018-05-07T15:12:14","slug":"take-5-helpful-honeybees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-helpful-honeybees\/","title":{"rendered":"Take 5: Helpful Honeybees"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally imported from Europe for their prized honey, beeswax, and pollination abilities, much of our honeybee population lives in beekeepers’ hives, and the rest build nests in tree cavities and in the eaves and walls of buildings. Each hive consists of a queen (who lays the eggs), female workers (who gather food and maintain the nest), and male drones (who mate with new queens).<\/p>\n

You may see a swarm on a tree trunk or an exterior wall of a building<\/a>. There\u2019s no reason for alarm\u2014the swarm will move on until it finds a new nesting spot. Stay indoors and watch this fascinating behavior from a window.<\/p>\n

Bees provide invaluable services to ecosystems and sustain our food production systems, so it\u2019s important for people to coexist with them. Be aware that if a swarm enters a building or nests in a location that conflicts with people<\/a>, pest-control companies will not remove it. However, local beekeepers will usually be happy to collect it. For a list of beekeepers, contact your local pest-control company.<\/p>\n

Here are five photos of helpful honeybees at work. Visit our website to learn more about\u00a0Bees & Wasps<\/a>\u00a0or to find an upcoming program on Bees & Beekeeping<\/a>\u00a0to learn about bees, honey, and gardening for pollinators at one of our wildlife sanctuaries.<\/p>\n

\"Honeybee

Honeybee \u00a9 Susumu Kishihara<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Honeybee

Honeybee \u00a9 AnnMarie Lally<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Honeybee

Honeybee \u00a9 James Engberg<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Honeybee

Honeybee \u00a9 Daniel Sherman<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Honeybee

Honeybee \u00a9 Sean Kent<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Originally imported from Europe for their prized honey, beeswax, and pollination abilities, much of our honeybee population lives in beekeepers’ hives, and the rest build nests in tree cavities and in the eaves and walls of buildings. Each hive consists of a queen (who lays the eggs), female workers (who gather food and maintain the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":10969,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6,158],"tags":[243,242,133,83,84],"class_list":["post-10939","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","category-take-5","tag-bees","tag-honeybees","tag-insects","tag-photo-contest","tag-photography"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/05\/161Susumu_Kishihara12589_fi.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-2Qr","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2350,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/the-story-behind-bee-swarms\/","url_meta":{"origin":10939,"position":0},"title":"The Story Behind Bee Swarms","author":"Hillary T.","date":"June 6, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"You may have seen the photo of a swarm of honey bees on a car in Dorchester back in early May and wondered what was going on. The short story: the bees were looking for a new home. But why did they need a new home and what should you\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2013\/06\/beeswarm.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12693,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-busy-bees\/","url_meta":{"origin":10939,"position":1},"title":"Take 5: Busy Bees","author":"Ryan D.","date":"May 13, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"It's springtime and nature is abuzz with activity\u2014literally, in the case of bees! With more than 370 species of bees living in Massachusetts, there's plenty for a budding entomologist to discover. While the more familiar bumblebees and European honeybees are social, up to 85% of bees are solitary and do\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Mining Bee (Genus Andrena) \u00a9 Daniel McNamara","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/05\/4624Daniel_McNamara25841.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/05\/4624Daniel_McNamara25841.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/05\/4624Daniel_McNamara25841.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/05\/4624Daniel_McNamara25841.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9883,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/a-butterfly-boom\/","url_meta":{"origin":10939,"position":2},"title":"A Butterfly Boom","author":"Hillary T.","date":"October 3, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Bees swarm. Locusts swarm. Butterflies, not so much. But at the moment, many thousands of painted lady butterflies are filling gardens and roadside stands of fall wildflowers at the end of a long flight from Southwestern deserts. There are two species of very similar \u201cLady butterflies\u201d that occur in Massachusetts.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/10\/GillianHenryPaintedLady600.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/10\/GillianHenryPaintedLady600.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/10\/GillianHenryPaintedLady600.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2862,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/a-different-kind-of-nest\/","url_meta":{"origin":10939,"position":3},"title":"A Different Kind of Nest","author":"Rosemary","date":"October 24, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"As the trees lose their foliage, you may begin to notice large, round clumps of leaves in the branches. These are squirrel nests\u2014also known as dreys. In Massachusetts, eastern gray squirrels, red squirrels, and northern and southern flying squirrels all make dreys. Eastern Gray Squirrel Nests Eastern grays are large\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Squirrel nest","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/119\/306956951_120da87de5.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4737,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wildlife-in-winter-where-are-they-now\/","url_meta":{"origin":10939,"position":4},"title":"Wildlife in Winter: Where Are They Now?","author":"Rosemary","date":"February 11, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"How do animals that lack thick fluffy fur, such as frogs or insects, survive the winter? No matter how high the snow piles up, these creatures still somehow manage to appear\u00a0in abundance in the\u00a0spring. Here\u2019s where they are right now. Frogs Take a look at a frozen pond or forest\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Wood Frog","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/01\/woodfrog-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12716,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-nest-builders\/","url_meta":{"origin":10939,"position":5},"title":"Take 5: Nest Builders","author":"Ryan D.","date":"May 20, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The varied landscapes of Massachusetts provide nesting spots for nearly 200 bird species and spring is prime time for nest-building and brooding. You may have seen birds flitting back and forth with beaks full of twigs, grasses, and even plastic refuse to fortify their nests, which may pop up in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Tree Swallow \u00a9 Steve Nikola","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/05\/4680Steve_Nikola21176.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/05\/4680Steve_Nikola21176.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/05\/4680Steve_Nikola21176.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/05\/4680Steve_Nikola21176.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10939","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/68"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10939"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10939\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10976,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10939\/revisions\/10976"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10969"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10939"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10939"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10939"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}