Fun Facts to Celebrate World Bee Day
This year’s World Bee Day is May 20th, 2026. To celebrate the bees, this next post from our pest blog is all about them!
Just because we’re pest control specialists doesn’t mean we hate insects. All creatures have something unique and special about them that we can learn from and appreciate, even the ones we need to protect our property from.
Keep reading for some fun bee facts, courtesy of Vulcan Termite and Pest Control Inc.!
Fun Bee Facts for World Bee Day
#1 Bees Aren’t Cannibals
Bees, like wasps and ants, come from the order Hymenoptera. However, unlike their fellow Hymenopterans, bees do not eat other insects or other bees. Bee food sources include pollen, nectar, and honey.
#2 Japan’s Honeybees Fight Back Against Murder Hornets… By Roasting Them.
Asian giant hornets, known as “murder hornets” (which you can learn all about in this previous blog), are a significant threat to Japanese honeybees. One murder hornet is nearly as long and wide, and 20 times heavier, as five Japanese honeybees combined.
Japanese honeybees are highly sensitive and vulnerable to attacks by these monstrous hornets —especially if they face them alone. However, murder hornets are very heat-intolerant, and the bees use that to their advantage.
The plan begins when a scouting hornet tries to sneak into the honeybee hive; the first bees to notice the intruder immediately warn the rest of the colony by emitting pheremones that quickly communicate danger throughout, like a silent alarm. Unlike honeybees we see in the U.S., these bees don’t attack with stingers to keep the hornet out; instead, they wait patiently, allowing it to be lured in by their honey.
Once it catches one of the bees, it’s game over for the hornet. The rest of the workers swarm and smother it, rapidly moving their abdomens until their vibrations and the friction overheat and weaken the hornet, and continue until they, quite literally, cook it to death.
#3 Male Bees Don’t Sting or Work
Only female bees have stingers, and only female bees work for the hive. That means that male bees’ only responsibilities are to live, eat, and mate with virgin queen bees. Sounds like a leisurely life.
#4 Bees Take Potty Breaks
Bee-lieve it or not, bees don’t poop in the hive; they take “cleansing flights.” They can hold it for a long time, but obviously not forever. So, when it’s winter, and they have to use the little bees’ room, they wait until the very next time it’s warm enough for them to survive an emergence. Then they fly out, do their business, and quickly fly back into the hive.
Bees don’t have plumbing systems in their hive, so if they didn’t take these off-site bathroom breaks, the hive would be full of poop, which can spread diseases. Some winters are too long and cold for cleansing flights; in those desperate times, bees have to poop inside.
They also take cleansing flights on the warmest days of each season.
Pest Control Experts Who Care
Bees are essential pollinators, so we’re very thankful for them at Vulcan Termite & Pest Control. There’s no need to get rid of bees or other native insects in your area unless they pose a threat to your family, neighbors, or guests.
If any insect is interfering with your comfort, safety, or quality of life, give us a call at 205-663-4200 or contact us online. We can safely eliminate harmful pests and implement short- and long-term prevention solutions. Our team has proudly served families in Alabama since 1965, and we would love to help you, too!