October 2026 Apiary update

Last month the Chief Apiarist and I took a road trip up to St. Augustine, Savannah, and ended up in Northern Georgia.  On our way we stopped at Blue Ridge Honey Company, where we did a little shopping and caught a glimpse of You Tube star Bob Binney (ok, he's a star to us, and his bee videos lull me to sleep because his voice is so melodic!).  From there we headed towards Gainesville, Georgia - yes, that state has a Gainesville too, and it's also a college town, go figure!

What were we doing there?  Well, the Chief Apiarist was judging his second show as a certified honey judge and I was attending my first bee conference.  What's there to do at a bee conference?  Well, there were 8 Keynote speeches, as well as breakout sessions spread over 5 rooms.  Thankfully some sessions repeated, so you were able to see everything you wanted to.  I was armed with my notebook, pen, and a healthy dose of curiosity as I learned more about bee biology, how to improve a bee club, yellow-legged hornets, and so much more!  

I really enjoyed the talks by Dr. Meghan Milbrath and Dr. Jamie Ellis, and know that I want to learn more from both of them in the future.  I won't bore you with the nitty-gritty details of everything I learned, however here are some fun facts to roll out at dinner parties:

1. Bees only grow while they are in their cells, once they hatch they are full-sized.
2. The growth % of bees in their cells would be like a human baby turning into a creature the size of a baby elephant in 6 days.
3. Bees pick up a static charge while they are flying, so the pollen "leaps" onto their hair.
4. Bees are born fuzzy-headed (I've seen it and it's super cute but doesn't really show up too great in my photos), and as they age their hair wears off.
5. Bees can't fly in the dark - they rely on their eyes to see to fly outside of the hive, once they return it's dark, so they rely on their antennae to navigate.
6. Bees can fly in temperatures up to 113 degrees F, and use their head as a radiator.  If its too hot they will hold a drop of nectar in their mouth to cool them.
7. Bees have directional sensilla on their shoulders to orient them, so they cannot fly in space (yes, NASA has tested this).