There's a Buzz About Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bombus terrestris

The large earth bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) is a species of bee which inhabits the northern hemisphere. These bees can be found in a wide range of habitats particularly in temperate areas and are often used to pollinate plants grown in greenhouses.

They have adapted to warmer climates, such as North Africa, and are treated as an invasive species in some countries, where they were introduced to act as pollinators.

Answer: It's female

To prove that the 'female of the species is more deadly than the male', as Rudyard Kipling told us, only female bees can sting. Females, like the queen and workers, can sting but the male drones can't. There are also stingless bees. Bees are not aggressive and you are only likely to be stung if you disturb bees or by accident.

Honey bees can usually only sting once as their sting is barbed and rips open the bee's body when it tries to fly away.

Answer: Himalayas

Also known as the Himalayan giant honey bee, some specimens can be as much as three centimetres (over an inch) long. The bee is found in Nepal, Bhutan, China, India and also in Laos and Vietnam. It builds its nests on cliff faces, choosing those with overhangs for extra protection.

Harvesting the honey is arduous and is traditionally carried out by particular families. The effort is worthwhile, though, as some nests can contain up to sixty kilograms (130 pounds) of honey. Bear in mind that the bees nest at elevations as high as three thousand metres, or nearly ten thousand feet.

Answer: Carpenter

The carpenter bee is considered to be the most dangerous, not because they eat wood but due to their habit of creating tunnels inside it. They begin by creating a hole to gain access to the wood before boring tunnels inside. This weakens the structure of the wood, and if this impacts on supporting beams, for example, major problems can ensue.

Mason bees can cause damage too, but generally less serious as they gain access via mortar. Mining and plasterer bees are also real species, but are not likely to damage your home.

Answer: Mud dauber

Bees are closely related to the wasp, with the main distinguishing factor being their body shape. Wasps tend to be slimmer around the middle of their body, from which we get our expression 'wasp-waisted'. Wasps can also sting several times while some bees can sting only once, due to the design of the stinger.

Varieties of mud dauber wasp can be found in Australia, Asia, the Americas and Europe. Their common name comes from their habit of building nests using mud.

The other three options are real bees.

Answer: A remedy for an infected wound

Propolis is used by the bees to seal small open spaces in their hive. One of the reasons they do this is to protect the hive from diseases and to prevent parasites from entering it. It is a sticky resin which bees create from the buds of cone bearing trees.

Propolis is promoted as a natural remedy, particularly in dealing with bacteria and viruses. It is not medically approved and care should be taken to consult a doctor before using it, particularly if you are using other medications. Allergies may occur in users if they are sensitive to bees or bee products.

Answer: Koala eucalyptus bee

All of the real bees are native to Australia, so I made up the koala eucalyptus bee as the fictional bee. Honey bees do collect pollen from eucalyptus trees and eucalyptus honey is real but there is no koala eucalyptus bee.

The sugarbag bee is native to the coastal regions of north east Australia and is one of the world's stingless bees. The teddy bear bee is also known as the golden haired mortar bee and is found in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. It resembles the bumble bee. The domino cuckoo bee owes its name to its colouration, with white spots on a black body. The other part of its name describes its habit of laying its eggs in the nests of other bees. It is found in most parts of Australia.

Answer: To indicate the location of food

Western honey bees use the dance to communicate the location of food. The 'round dance' indicates food is nearby while the longer 'waggle dance' indicates food located at a greater distance.

The dance takes place in the hive when a bee returns from foraging. The more vigorous the dance, the better the source. The behaviour was known about in the times of Aristotle, who suggested that the bees could be communicating to the hive. Karl von Frisch received a Nobel Prize in 1973 for his work on interpreting the bees' dances.

Answer: America's smallest bee

A type of mining bee, Perdita minima (there's a clue in the name) is the smallest bee found in North America and possibly in the world. It measures about two mm, which is less than 0.08 of an inch. Unsurprisingly, it is rarely seen and the IUCN doesn't even have a listing for it

Far from being social, this bee is a solitary type and prefers to live in desert regions. It nests in sandy soil and favours plants found in desert areas, such as regions in the south west of the USA. Despite its size, or lack of it, this bee plays an essential role in pollinating the flora of the region.

Answer: Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great is said to have specified that, upon his death, he wanted his body to be preserved in honey. When he died in Babylon after over a decade of military campaigning, his wishes were carried out. Many believe that he was influenced in this by his teacher Aristotle, who himself had written about the preservative powers of honey.

Honey is a natural antiseptic known throughout the ancient world for its ability to heal wounds and lessen scarring.