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16 Facts About Bees That'll Probably Make You Want To Start Your Own Hive

Um, bees can tell individual people apart.

Don't let their stingers fool you — bees are actually really awesome (and no, the bees didn't write this).

1. The average worker bee produces only about 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime.

2. That sounds tiny, which it is, but an average bee's lifespan is only about six weeks.

3. And it takes a group of honeybees two million flowers to make one pound of honey.

4. Bees are the only insects that produce something humans can actually eat.

5. They've been producing honey the same way for 150 million years.

6. Only female bees have stingers, because the stinger is essentially an ovipositor.

7. And yes, honeybees do die after stinging you.

8. Not only do male bees not have stingers, they also don't gather nectar or pollen.

9. Queen bees can select the sex of their larvae.

10. Bees, along with wasps and hornets, are the most deadly creatures — they kill more people a year than bears, alligators, and sharks combined.

11. Oh, and bees can also tell us apart.

12. That buzzing sound they make is caused by them flapping their wings around 11,000 strokes a minute.

13. And according to all known laws of aviation, there is no way that a bee should be able to fly, but scientists now understand that it's due to the shape and motion of their wings.

14. Honeybees do a move called the "waggle dance" to communicate with each other.

15. If you really want to be a friend to the bees, plant a garden with at least three kinds of flowers.

16. Oh, and keep in mind that they really like caffeine.

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