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Honey hunters use captured bees to locate a hive. They then smoke the beehive and collect the honey, effectively destroying the hive. Some parts of Indonesia and Malaysia still practice this.

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In American history, the honey bee most significantly symbolized industry and prosperity. One state even used the hive symbol on their money directly after the Revolutionary War.

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Bees come in all colors, shapes, and sizes. The world’s smallest may be Perdita Minima from the southwestern United States. It can hardly be seen without a magnifying lense. At less than 0.08 inches, it is about the size of the gnat

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The world’s largest bee lives in Indonesia, and its Wallace’s giant bee, Megachile Pluto. With a body of 1.5 inches and a wingspan of 2.5 inches, it is nearly 20 times the size of Perdita Minima.

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Lorenzo Langstroth figured out that no matter how the bees build the hive, they will leave a certain space between aisles. He then came up with the modern hive with frames that sit that certain distance apart and allow humans to peacefully harvest honey.

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Slo-Mo Footage of a Bumble Bee Dislodging Pollen

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This video, published by the Smithsonian Museum, provides a better view of how bees pollinate.

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Smithsonian Channel

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274,295

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Slo-Mo Footage of a Bumble Bee Dislodging Pollen

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Buzz pollination is a special technique for dislodging pollen from certain types of plants - and bumble bees are among the few species of bee capable of doing it. From the Show: Secrets of the Hive http://bit.ly/2y8muWs

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1 min 40 sec

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Slo-Mo Footage of a Bumble Bee Dislodging Pollen

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Creator Smithsonian Channel Views 274,295 Video Title Slo-Mo Footage of a Bumble Bee Dislodging Pollen Description Buzz pollination is a special technique for dislodging pollen from certain types of plants - and bumble bees are among the few species of bee capable of doing it.

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Bees and the beehive have worked their way into our everyday speech through idioms including:
“The bee’s knees”
“Queen bee”
“Hive of activity” / “Busy as a bee”
“The birds and the bees”

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Beginning in the 17th century, the bee was revealed to be more than just and insect. Authors and artists began using the bee as a divine force and symbol in their writings. Charles Butler wrote the first widely read beekeeping manuel. He believed that the purpose of his work with bees was to lift up and worship God.

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Pollination process occurs when pollen grains from the male part of one flower (anther) are transferred to the female part (stigma) of another flower. Once pollination occurs, the fertilized flowers produce seeds, which enable the associated plant to reproduce and/or form fruit.

Bees don’t engage in the pollination process merely because they love flowers and plants! They reap huge benefits from participating in the process. As they fly from flower-to-flower, they move pollen from plant-to-plant on their legs, which is how pollination occurs. Because honey bees use pollen in their reproductive process, they collect it from all plants, even those not requiring cross-pollination via insects.

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According to August, Aristaeus was the first bee keeper. The gods punished him for his bad deeds by killing all of his bees. He was told to sacrifice a bull and then his bees would be returned.

“His own bees, reborn. He took them home to his hives, and after that people believed that bees had power over death” (Kidd 206).

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" 'There she is, Lily, see her?' said August. 'That's the queen, the large one.' I made a curtsy like people do for the queen of England, which made August laugh. I wanted to make her love me so she would keep me forever" (Kidd 94).

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The Mother Goddess has many manifestations in history, but the most significant being the dancing bees. The Goddess was worshiped in many cultures and portrayed through art as the queen bee.

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They way that the Daughters of Mary worship the Mary statue is very similar to how people would worship the Mother Goddess.

"Finally we all stepped back. Our Lady stood there with her chains spilled around her on the grass, absolutely golden with honey" (Kidd 270).

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Originating in the Far East, the Varroa mite spread all over the world. The mite sticks its fangs into larva and sucks on it until it dies. They also suck on the blood of bees. This parasite caused problems all over the world and still continues to destroy bee hives.

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Electromagnetic Radiation emitted from cells phones is hypothesized to be a reason that the bee population is declining. The radiation is said to confuse bees so they fly away from hives and eventually die.

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https://docs.google.com/document/d/11wfi4LsSU4Fei9QEWAmqDi85wHLaSvBjLu0HTHS6NQs/edit

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The pure positivity of bee pollination is shown in the novel,

"The farmers loves her bees, thanks to all the pollinating they did, how they made the watermelons redder and the cucumbers bigger" (Kidd 93).

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How Do Honeybees Get Their Jobs? | National Geographic

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While explaining bee society to Lily, August says,

" 'Most people don't have any idea about all the complicated life going on inside a hive. Bees have a secret life we don't know anything about' " (Kidd 148).

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How Do Honeybees Get Their Jobs? | National Geographic

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Similar to how Lily strays away from T Ray’s to end up at the Boatwright house, bees possess the special ability to go great distances and end up where they need to be. Honey bees are able to fly up to 5 miles to collect honey and return to the hive successfully.

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The intricate way bees are able to communicate is by completing a dance. This dance provides bees knowledge of where to go to collect their pollen, and how to find their way back to their respective hive. The show, Phineas and Ferb, provides a brief but helpful explanation of how bees use this dance as the Fireside Girls perform their waggle dance song.

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The Queen Bee is essential for any bee hive to function properly. So what is needed once the Queen steps down from her role? The answer is within this video-Royal Jelly.

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Kidd utilizes the structure and diversity of Bees to provide symbolism within the Novel. For example, August can be considered as the Queen bee as she is the oldest, wisest, and often portrayed as the glue that holds the foundation of the Boatwright house together through the toughest times. As you would expect a Queen Bee to do, she often provides meaningful advice, such as

“The hardest thing on earth is choosing what matters” (Kidd 147).

As she offers this advice to Lily, she lives through her words to be a role model and leader to those around her, making choices as a businesswoman, sister, and undertaker for those in need.

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Saint Ambrose was a bishop of Milan who became one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the 4th century.  There is a legend that as an infant, a swarm of bees settled on his face while he lay in his cradle, leaving behind a drop of honey. His father considered this to be a sign of his future eloquence and 'honeyed tongue'. For this reason, bees and beehives often appear in the saint's symbology.

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Can you spot the Hive?

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Bees are mentioned in the Torah and honey is used in a number of Jewish customs, such as Rosh Hashanah. The honey used within this holiday symbolizes a “Sweet New Year” to come.

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In the Islamic tradition, the Quran's 16th chapter is titled ‘The Bee’.  This chapter is known to be the revelation of God.  What’s really neat about the Quran, is it always refers to the honeybee as a feminine creature. Tying back to the femininity roots found associated with bees and as well as within the novel.