Questions // Did you know that...

1. Romanian production of honey bee is of 15-20.000 tones/year, of which 80% is exported because of the reduced consumption of honey in the home market?

2. Consumption of honey in Romania is of 0,1- 0,5 kg/ inhabitant/ year while in Germany is of 1,5- 1,7 kg/inhabitant/ year?

3. In order to extract 1kg of honey, bees have to collect 3kg of pollen?

4. In order to produce 1kg of honey a bee takes 40.000 flights, a distance equivalent to the tour of the world?

5. A beehive may house up to 80.000 worker bees, a queen and thousand of drones?

6. The queen bee is annihilated by the worker bees when she is a few years old and her fertility is diminished?

7. Inside beehive there are 36°C (the human body’s temperature), irrespective of the outside temperature?

8. Bees don’t distinguish red color; in exchange they can perceive ultra-violet rays which are invisible to human eyes?

9. Drones don’t have the defense organ- which is the needle?

10. The worker bees have duration of life of just 6 weeks? Winter bees, which hibernate along with their queen inside the beehive, may live even up to 6 months?

11. The total distance covered by bees has a great influence upon their duration of life, as their death may occur after 5 or 30 days, a period during which they can travel up to 800km?

12. Bees become aggressive and sting if they feel unpleasant smells such as: onion, garlic, alcoholic drinks, sweat, as well as strong fragrances of perfume or body lotion?

13. If you consume drinks based on honey in the evening you will have a quiet sleep, honey acting as a sedative on your nervous system, especially the lime-tree honey?

14. Cleopatra took care of her skin using honey masks and in order to have a more delicate skin she used to take milk and honey baths.

15. The Roman God Jupiter was fed by the bees which lived on the Ida Mountain, laced on Crete Island, and produced honey just for this purpose?

16. Honey is a recommended food by all religions, being mentioned in the Holly Bible, Koran and Talmud?

17. Honey was highly appreciated by the Romans, Greeks an Egyptians as food but also as a medicine?

18. The first coin that was known in the world had a bee engraved on it, representing the symbol of diligence, a coin which belonged to people from Efes who lived in the IVth century b. Ch.?

19. The history of apiculture has over 6000 years?

20. Honey used to be the only sweetener before sugar was imported by Europe?

21. There are 10.000 types of bees? The best-known bee species is Apis Meliffera which can be found in our country, too?