Inside the Hive: An intro to Bees and Beekeeping (Video)

Presenter: Michael Halprin, local beekeeper
LMUD Monthly Garden Club presentation, June 15, 2026

What do honey, apples, almonds, cucumbers, and watermelons have in common? They all depend on one of nature’s hardest workers: the honey bee.

At a recent community presentation, local beekeeper Michael Halprin introduced attendees to the fascinating world of honey bees and beekeeping. While many people think of bees simply as honey producers, their role in our environment and food system is far more important.

A Long History with Humans

Honey bees have been helping humans for thousands of years.

• Cave paintings in Spain show people harvesting wild honey as early as 8,000 BC.
• Ancient Egyptians were keeping bees more than 4,500 years ago.
• Honey bees are among only a few bee species that have been domesticated by humans.

Interestingly, honey bees are not native to North America. They were first brought to the American colonies by English settlers in 1622 and gradually spread across the continent.

More Than Just Honey Makers

There are more than 20,000 known species of bees worldwide, but only seven species of honey bees.

Honey bees are remarkable insects:

• They have five eyes.
• They can see ultraviolet light.
• They communicate with one another to locate food sources.
• They live together in large colonies that can contain tens of thousands of bees.
• They store honey to feed the colony through winter.

One fun fact: honey is essentially processed flower nectar that bees collect, transform, and store for future use.

Life Inside the Hive

A honey bee colony operates like a highly organized community with three types of bees.

The Queen

The queen is the largest bee in the hive and has two primary jobs:

• Lay eggs—up to 1,500 per day.
• Produce pheromones that help keep the colony organized and functioning.

A queen can live up to five years and spends her life being cared for by worker bees.

Worker Bees

Worker bees are all female and perform nearly every task needed to keep the hive running.

Their responsibilities include:

• Cleaning hive cells
• Feeding baby bees
• Building honeycomb
• Guarding the hive
• Collecting nectar, pollen, and tree resins
• Regulating hive temperature

During the busy season, workers live only about six weeks because they work almost nonstop.

Drones

Drones are male bees whose primary purpose is reproduction.

• They do not collect pollen.
• They do not make wax.
• They do not have stingers.
• They rely on worker bees for much of their care.

Why Bees Matter

The importance of honey bees extends far beyond honey production.

Honey bees help pollinate approximately one-sixth of all flowering plant species worldwide and many of the crops that make up our daily diets.

Without bee pollination, foods such as:

would become much more difficult and expensive to produce.

In the United States alone, bee pollination contributes billions of dollars to agricultural production each year.

Challenges Facing Honey Bees

Honey bees face several threats that have contributed to significant colony losses in recent decades.

Some of the biggest challenges include:

• Varroa mites and other pests
• Diseases and pathogens
• Pesticide exposure
• Habitat loss
• Environmental stressors

These challenges affect both managed hives and wild pollinator populations.

How You Can Help Pollinators

You don’t need to become a beekeeper to support bees.

Simple actions can make a big difference:

• Plant native flowers that bloom throughout the year.
• Reduce or eliminate pesticide use.
• Leave some natural habitat in your yard.
• Provide water sources for pollinators.
• Support local beekeepers and pollinator-friendly initiatives.

Even a small pollinator garden can provide valuable food and shelter for bees.

Interested in Beekeeping?

For those inspired to explore beekeeping as a hobby, the advice from experienced beekeepers is simple:

Read, read, read.

Good first steps include:

• Joining a local beekeeping association.
• Taking a beginner beekeeping class.
• Contacting your county agricultural extension office.
• Finding an experienced beekeeper willing to mentor you.

Beekeeping is both rewarding and educational, offering a unique opportunity to observe one of nature’s most sophisticated communities up close.