Early this week, I was contacted to offer technical advise regarding a "bee incursion" on the balcony of a residential building. Their question: "What should we do to kill and remove these bees swarming in our balcony?" They were quite surprised with my answer: I told them that "these bees are the Arabian Dwarf Honey Bees. Please do not kill them. They are not aggressive and are harmless to humans! The bees will stay only for a short while in your balcony. They will leave the area voluntarily. Please do not spray pesticides on the bee hive."
The Arabian Dwarf Honey Bees, Apis florea, are tiny red brown bees, 7-10mm in size. They are smaller than the Domestic Honey Bee, Apis mellifera. These small bees are commonly found in South and South East Asia and also in the Middle East Region. They are considered the main natural pollinators here in the United Arab Emirates.
As mentioned above, these dwarf bees are harmless to humans. They do not sting in the same manner as the Domestic Honey Bee. Their main defense mechanism against invaders is by producing a loud ensemble of a hissing and wing beating sound called as "piping." The hissing sound of thousands of bee wings beating is audible to humans! Against ants, the worker bees produce and form a sticky zone barrier to deter raiding ants from looting their nest.
Let's all Bee Friendly! Let these bees do their pollination work and produce their tasty honey!
(Confession: Like Winnie The Pooh - I like sweet, sweet honey! Yum, yum, yum!)
My son, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. Know that wisdom is such to your soul, if you find it, there will be a future and your hope will not be cut off. (Proverbs 24: 13-14, ESV)
Awesome creatures! Awesome Creator!
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