Questions and answers
What’s the dogs name?
That’s Ranger, he’s the love of all our lives and a very good boy! Please take this image as artistic licence, and keep dogs away from bees, as Ranger recently had a traumatic encounter with them.
What is a bees lifespan?
Worker bee
- Summer: ~5–6 weeks
- (They literally work themselves to death—flying, foraging, and defending the hive.)
- Winter: Up to 4–6 months
- (They stay inside the hive and help keep the queen warm.)
Drone (male bee)
- Lifespan: ~6–8 weeks
- (Their sole purpose is to mate with a queen. If they succeed, they die shortly after mating. If not, they’re often expelled from the hive before winter.)
Queen bee
- Lifespan: 3–5 years
- (She can lay up to 2,000 eggs a day during peak season and is well cared for by the colony.)
Let me know if you’re asking about a specific kind of bee (e.g. bumblebee or solitary bee)—I can give a more tailored answer.
Does the Yellow Luggage Hornet or Asian Hornet kill honey bees?
Yes, the Asian hornet (also called the yellow-legged hornet, Vespa velutina) does kill honey bees and poses a serious threat to colonies.
- It hovers near hives, catches honey bees mid-air, decapitates them, and feeds their bodies to its larvae.
- A small number can wipe out a hive in days.
- European honey bees have no natural defences against them.
Unlike native European hornets, which rarely bother hives, Asian hornets are aggressive predators and spread quickly—each nest can produce hundreds of queens.
Let me know if you’d like tips on identifying or reporting one in the UK.
How many bees in a colony/hive?
A colony can have as many as 60,000 female worker bees in the summer months. There are perhaps 1000 male drones and usually only 1 queen.
© 2026 by Botany Bay Bees
Questions and answers
What’s the dogs name?
That’s Ranger, he’s the love of all our lives and a very good boy! Please take this image as artistic licence, and keep dogs away from bees, as Ranger recently had a traumatic encounter with them.
What is a bees lifespan?
Worker bee
- Summer: ~5–6 weeks
- (They literally work themselves to death—flying, foraging, and defending the hive.)
- Winter: Up to 4–6 months
- (They stay inside the hive and help keep the queen warm.)
Drone (male bee)
- Lifespan: ~6–8 weeks
- (Their sole purpose is to mate with a queen. If they succeed, they die shortly after mating. If not, they’re often expelled from the hive before winter.)
Queen bee
- Lifespan: 3–5 years
- (She can lay up to 2,000 eggs a day during peak season and is well cared for by the colony.)
Let me know if you’re asking about a specific kind of bee (e.g. bumblebee or solitary bee)—I can give a more tailored answer.
Does the Yellow Luggage Hornet or Asian Hornet kill honey bees?
Yes, the Asian hornet (also called the yellow-legged hornet, Vespa velutina) does kill honey bees and poses a serious threat to colonies.
- It hovers near hives, catches honey bees mid-air, decapitates them, and feeds their bodies to its larvae.
- A small number can wipe out a hive in days.
- European honey bees have no natural defences against them.
Unlike native European hornets, which rarely bother hives, Asian hornets are aggressive predators and spread quickly—each nest can produce hundreds of queens.
Let me know if you’d like tips on identifying or reporting one in the UK.
How many bees in a colony/hive?
A colony can have as many as 60,000 female worker bees in the summer months. There are perhaps 1000 male drones and usually only 1 queen.
© 2026 by Botany Bay Bees
Questions and answers
What’s the dogs name?
That’s Ranger, he’s the love of all our lives and a very good boy! Please take this image as artistic licence, and keep dogs away from bees, as Ranger recently had a traumatic encounter with them.
What is a bees lifespan?
Worker bee
- Summer: ~5–6 weeks
- (They literally work themselves to death—flying, foraging, and defending the hive.)
- Winter: Up to 4–6 months
- (They stay inside the hive and help keep the queen warm.)
Drone (male bee)
- Lifespan: ~6–8 weeks
- (Their sole purpose is to mate with a queen. If they succeed, they die shortly after mating. If not, they’re often expelled from the hive before winter.)
Queen bee
- Lifespan: 3–5 years
- (She can lay up to 2,000 eggs a day during peak season and is well cared for by the colony.)
Let me know if you’re asking about a specific kind of bee (e.g. bumblebee or solitary bee)—I can give a more tailored answer.
Does the Yellow Luggage Hornet or Asian Hornet kill honey bees?
Yes, the Asian hornet (also called the yellow-legged hornet, Vespa velutina) does kill honey bees and poses a serious threat to colonies.
- It hovers near hives, catches honey bees mid-air, decapitates them, and feeds their bodies to its larvae.
- A small number can wipe out a hive in days.
- European honey bees have no natural defences against them.
Unlike native European hornets, which rarely bother hives, Asian hornets are aggressive predators and spread quickly—each nest can produce hundreds of queens.
Let me know if you’d like tips on identifying or reporting one in the UK.
How many bees in a colony/hive?
A colony can have as many as 60,000 female worker bees in the summer months. There are perhaps 1000 male drones and usually only 1 queen.
© 2026 by Botany Bay Bees