Hear the buzz?

That's the sound of a honey bee's wings moving at about 11,400 times per minute.

As a field bee, the worker bee lives only several weeks during the peak nectaring season. She can fly four to five miles a day, at a speed of about 15 miles per hour. When her wings (she has four) fray and wear out, she can no longer fly.

We recently spotted a honey bee with very ragged wings nectaring lantana and another nectaring lavender.

A world of difference between the wings.  

For more information on honey bees, check out the UC Davis bee biology Web site and the links page.