Inside every beehive exists a busy city that never sleeps. Thousands of honeybees work together in ways that scientists are still trying to understand. Each bee has a specific job, and the survival of the entire colony depends on every bee doing its part.
Worker bees, which are all female, perform different jobs depending on their age. Young workers stay inside the hive to care for baby bees and build honeycomb from wax they produce in their bodies. As they get older, they move on to jobs like receiving nectar from forager bees and packing it into cells. The oldest workers become foragers themselves, flying up to three miles from the hive to collect nectar and pollen.
Communication in the hive is remarkable. When a forager discovers a good source of flowers, she performs a "waggle dance" to tell other bees exactly where to find it. The direction and duration of her dance provides a map that other bees can follow.
The queen bee has only one job: laying eggs. She can lay up to 2,000 eggs per day during spring and summer. Without her, the colony would eventually die out.
Honeybees show us that working together, with each member contributing their skills, creates something far greater than any individual could achieve alone.