Jataí Bee: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Tiny Builders · day 4 of 7

Five facts

1. This bee measures just 4 to 5 mm and has no stinger at all.
2. Around 1 to 6% of the colony are soldier guards, each weighing about 30% more than ordinary foragers.
3. These bigger guards watch over a wax entrance tube about 2 cm long, which is often closed at night.
4. A swarm leaving for a new nest can contain up to 10,000 bees, yet fewer than 10 % actually relocate.
5. Its honey, called miel de angelita, can fetch up to ten times the price of regular honey in Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador.

The quiz

1. How long is this bee?

• 4-5 cm
• 40-50 mm
• 1-2 cm
• 4-5 mm (correct)

It measures just 4 to 5 mm and has no stinger.

2. How much more do soldier bees weigh than ordinary foragers?

• About 30 % more (correct)
• About 3 % more
• About 90 % more
• The same

Soldiers weigh about 30% more than ordinary foragers.

3. What often happens to the wax entrance tube at night?

• It is eaten
• It is closed (correct)
• It is moved
• It is painted

The guarded entrance tube is often closed at night.

4. How many bees can a swarm for a new nest contain?

• Up to 10
• Up to 100
• Up to 10,000 (correct)
• Up to 1 million

A swarm can contain up to 10,000 bees, but fewer than 10 % relocate.

5. How much can its honey fetch compared with regular honey?

• Up to ten times the price (correct)
• Half the price
• The same price
• Up to a hundred times the price

It can fetch up to ten times the price of regular honey.

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