1 00:00:03,099 --> 00:00:06,340 Previously, on Secrets of the Bees. 2 00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:16,219 After months of tireless work, the honeybee family 3 00:00:16,219 --> 00:00:17,280 split in two. 4 00:00:20,100 --> 00:00:27,020 Half the sisters left, leaving those that remained in a 5 00:00:27,020 --> 00:00:29,360 depleted hive without a queen. 6 00:00:32,860 --> 00:00:35,300 found themselves in the eye of the storm. 7 00:00:37,140 --> 00:00:38,400 It is pouring. 8 00:00:39,180 --> 00:00:41,000 Poor bees, they're just getting stoked. 9 00:00:59,340 --> 00:01:03,510 Now, I'm back to see if the swarm survive the night 10 00:01:03,510 --> 00:01:08,470 well there's lots of bees flying 11 00:01:08,470 --> 00:01:11,190 here we go 12 00:01:11,190 --> 00:01:17,770 how are you doing bee swarm 13 00:01:17,770 --> 00:01:24,730 actually look okay well 14 00:01:24,730 --> 00:01:28,650 that is a relief i was worried they got dangerously cold in the rain 15 00:01:31,950 --> 00:01:33,190 Right, I'm going to grab my camera. 16 00:01:36,270 --> 00:01:39,910 Out in the open, the bees are still vulnerable. 17 00:01:40,670 --> 00:01:43,490 They desperately need a roof over their heads. 18 00:01:44,250 --> 00:01:48,730 The plan now is that most of the bees are going to stay put and conserve their 19 00:01:48,730 --> 00:01:49,730 energy. 20 00:01:50,130 --> 00:01:53,610 But some of them are going to leave. 21 00:01:56,390 --> 00:01:57,390 Here she goes. 22 00:01:57,750 --> 00:01:58,750 Woo -hoo! 23 00:02:00,170 --> 00:02:04,220 These are the... Scouts, the most experienced workers. 24 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:09,880 Their job is to go house hunting. 25 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:17,940 Each scout can only search as far as the queen can travel, about two miles. 26 00:02:21,580 --> 00:02:24,180 And any hole is worth investigating. 27 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:29,880 She's looking for somewhere roomy enough for the colony to grow. 28 00:02:30,820 --> 00:02:31,820 Check. 29 00:02:32,780 --> 00:02:35,600 An entrance narrow enough to defend. 30 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:37,880 Check. 31 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:43,260 But this is just too open. 32 00:02:50,860 --> 00:02:54,480 A tree hole could tick all the boxes. 33 00:02:57,500 --> 00:02:59,700 A safe height from the ground. 34 00:03:00,590 --> 00:03:04,150 And space for her 30 ,000 sisters. 35 00:03:10,670 --> 00:03:11,670 Perfect. 36 00:03:14,990 --> 00:03:17,670 Now, to convince the swarm. 37 00:03:21,710 --> 00:03:23,250 That is a waggle. 38 00:03:24,870 --> 00:03:28,530 Well, this is the infamous honeybee waggle dance. 39 00:03:31,500 --> 00:03:35,380 You know, this might look like a bunch of random butt shakes, but this is an 40 00:03:35,380 --> 00:03:36,380 important message. 41 00:03:36,600 --> 00:03:41,320 This is how the scouts tell the rest of the colony about the location and the 42 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:42,720 quality of a new house they found. 43 00:03:44,180 --> 00:03:48,680 And it's the most advanced communication system of any insect. 44 00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:53,400 Now, I wonder what they're saying. 45 00:03:54,380 --> 00:03:55,380 Everyone, listen. 46 00:03:55,540 --> 00:03:57,580 You won't believe the place I've just found. 47 00:03:57,820 --> 00:03:58,920 It's got a sweet view. 48 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:00,340 It's not far from here. 49 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:02,740 And it's got so much room for honey. 50 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:08,340 The longer the dance, the further the sisters know to travel. 51 00:04:09,060 --> 00:04:14,100 And her enthusiasm tells the others just how great the place is. 52 00:04:18,959 --> 00:04:21,640 The other scouts check the hole out. 53 00:04:24,900 --> 00:04:27,780 To be sure it's as good as she says. 54 00:04:31,500 --> 00:04:34,680 And if they like it, they'll waggle too. 55 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:41,540 It's one bee, one vote. 56 00:04:44,320 --> 00:04:45,880 Democracy in action. 57 00:04:48,120 --> 00:04:53,660 Once the majority of the Scouts agree, it's a done deal. 58 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:10,100 All 30 ,000 bees take to the air. 59 00:05:21,660 --> 00:05:25,340 The swarm finally has a new home. 60 00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:33,500 A place for this half of the sisterhood to grow and thrive. 61 00:05:37,770 --> 00:05:43,450 Swarming is a dangerous gamble, but it's one honeybees must take if they're to 62 00:05:43,450 --> 00:05:44,730 spread to new areas. 63 00:05:46,290 --> 00:05:50,770 It's also the only time they move any real distance. 64 00:05:55,570 --> 00:05:58,610 Unless we force them. 65 00:06:05,830 --> 00:06:12,760 Every year, 30 billion honeybees are trucked from all over the US to the 66 00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:14,180 Valley of California. 67 00:06:16,900 --> 00:06:23,620 It's one of the largest movements of animals on the planet and known 68 00:06:23,620 --> 00:06:25,720 as migratory beekeeping. 69 00:06:37,610 --> 00:06:40,490 Let's start cleaning up this bed, get the snow off. 70 00:06:42,610 --> 00:06:45,790 Ryan Llewellyn is a fifth -generation beekeeper. 71 00:06:46,850 --> 00:06:52,750 I've been exposed to them with my dad and grandpa since I was three or four. 72 00:06:53,770 --> 00:06:55,310 So pretty much my whole life. 73 00:07:00,430 --> 00:07:04,110 Each winter, while the bees are saving their energy... 74 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:09,620 Ryan transports thousands of his hives from their home in Oregon to California. 75 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:14,300 Not for honey -making, but to pollinate almond trees. 76 00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:15,640 Here comes the net. 77 00:07:19,220 --> 00:07:21,800 It's an 800 -mile journey. 78 00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:29,360 An unimaginable distance for an animal that would normally never travel more 79 00:07:29,360 --> 00:07:31,080 than six miles from its home. 80 00:07:36,490 --> 00:07:41,130 Midway through the trip, as the truck descends from the Rockies into 81 00:07:41,430 --> 00:07:45,030 the temperature suddenly climbs 20 degrees. 82 00:07:47,150 --> 00:07:49,050 The bees start to awaken. 83 00:07:49,810 --> 00:07:51,510 You can smell them. 84 00:07:53,510 --> 00:07:55,170 The whole truck will buzz. 85 00:07:56,510 --> 00:08:00,530 This is the most dangerous part of the bees' journey. 86 00:08:02,190 --> 00:08:03,910 Anytime we stop... 87 00:08:07,980 --> 00:08:10,240 They'll start to fly and come out the entrances. 88 00:08:13,080 --> 00:08:15,600 They'll get stuck in the net and die. 89 00:08:19,140 --> 00:08:23,960 After two long days of travel, the bees reach their destination. 90 00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:31,980 They join millions of others, a concentration of hives found nowhere 91 00:08:33,400 --> 00:08:35,679 But have Ryan's bees... 92 00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:37,260 survive the journey. 93 00:08:38,900 --> 00:08:40,340 No, this is not a good one. 94 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:46,540 Yeah, all these bees that I'm finding on the bottom boards, they got frozen on 95 00:08:46,540 --> 00:08:47,540 the drive down. 96 00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:52,700 Migratory beekeeping is, it's hard. 97 00:08:53,420 --> 00:08:57,740 You do your best to keep them healthy and alive, but sometimes, you know, you 98 00:08:57,740 --> 00:08:58,740 just can't. 99 00:09:02,410 --> 00:09:07,850 With no source of nectar here to feed his bees, Ryan provides the substitute. 100 00:09:09,410 --> 00:09:15,410 Food that simulates spring, cueing them to grow their colony as fast as 101 00:09:15,410 --> 00:09:17,050 possible. Good night, girls. 102 00:09:23,150 --> 00:09:28,230 After two weeks, the hives are spread across the orchards. 103 00:09:30,380 --> 00:09:33,180 in pole position for the bloom. 104 00:09:42,180 --> 00:09:47,520 Over a hundred million almond trees flower at the same time. 105 00:09:50,420 --> 00:09:56,200 And the bees will need to visit every one of them in just a week. 106 00:10:00,490 --> 00:10:04,030 It's time for Ryan's bee to get to work. 107 00:10:07,210 --> 00:10:10,990 Each visits up to 5 ,000 flowers a day. 108 00:10:16,950 --> 00:10:22,590 And while they're collecting food, pollen grains are transferred from one 109 00:10:22,590 --> 00:10:25,990 to another, feeding the plant. 110 00:10:28,430 --> 00:10:30,010 It's the largest... 111 00:10:30,220 --> 00:10:32,140 a pollination event on Earth. 112 00:10:35,900 --> 00:10:39,100 But the flowers only last six days. 113 00:10:40,980 --> 00:10:42,760 The petals start to fall. 114 00:10:45,180 --> 00:10:47,280 And there's no more bloom for the bees. 115 00:10:49,260 --> 00:10:55,860 Over three -quarters of the world's almonds come from California, a 116 00:10:55,860 --> 00:10:57,760 $20 billion business. 117 00:10:59,630 --> 00:11:02,290 Totally dependent on honeybees. 118 00:11:05,950 --> 00:11:10,110 This year, the event has taken its toll on Ryan's bees. 119 00:11:11,810 --> 00:11:13,970 I'm very concerned with the future. 120 00:11:15,370 --> 00:11:18,150 What are my actions today going to amount to tomorrow? 121 00:11:21,270 --> 00:11:24,230 Ryan is convinced that there's a better way ahead. 122 00:11:35,820 --> 00:11:41,760 Two weeks ago, the swarm left the hive with half its workforce and no queen. 123 00:11:45,780 --> 00:11:52,560 But before leaving, the old queen laid an egg in each of four special 124 00:11:52,560 --> 00:11:53,560 cells. 125 00:11:55,820 --> 00:11:59,980 Since then, they've been carefully tended by the sisters. 126 00:12:01,580 --> 00:12:04,640 Each contains a queen in waiting. 127 00:12:15,880 --> 00:12:18,700 The first to emerge has the advantage. 128 00:12:21,900 --> 00:12:25,380 It's the moment the sisters have been waiting for. 129 00:12:29,020 --> 00:12:31,440 This could be their new queen. 130 00:12:37,980 --> 00:12:41,760 Leader and egg layer in one. 131 00:12:45,840 --> 00:12:49,800 She lets everyone in the hive know she's ready to rule. 132 00:12:51,840 --> 00:12:54,740 Communicating in a way no other bee can. 133 00:12:57,900 --> 00:12:59,540 She toots. 134 00:13:02,800 --> 00:13:06,540 The sound travels through the walls of the honeycomb. 135 00:13:07,440 --> 00:13:11,780 At each toot, the colony freezes. 136 00:13:12,840 --> 00:13:15,680 in recognition of their new queen. 137 00:13:28,440 --> 00:13:34,320 The spare queens, still in their cells, aren't the back with a quack. 138 00:13:36,760 --> 00:13:42,020 A reminder to the already emerged queen that she has rivals. 139 00:13:44,520 --> 00:13:48,780 To keep her crown, she must leave the hive and mate. 140 00:13:51,400 --> 00:13:55,640 If she fails, the spare queens will get their chance. 141 00:14:00,960 --> 00:14:06,700 Until then, the sisters keep them calm with food and gentle vibrations. 142 00:14:16,840 --> 00:14:23,320 If the emerged queen succeeds, she will kill the imprisoned rival. 143 00:14:30,420 --> 00:14:35,560 At this time of year, the queens are not the only newbies on the block. 144 00:14:44,020 --> 00:14:46,240 This one is big. 145 00:14:49,130 --> 00:14:51,050 A big boy, to be precise. 146 00:14:53,990 --> 00:14:56,730 Male are born in the warmer month. 147 00:15:00,390 --> 00:15:04,610 Known as a drone, he has one important job. 148 00:15:07,870 --> 00:15:10,790 That's if he can squeeze out of his cell. 149 00:15:18,160 --> 00:15:21,340 Luckily, his sisters are there to lend a hand. 150 00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:35,740 Males like him do nothing to contribute to the family. 151 00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:42,280 He can't collect nectar or pollen. 152 00:15:46,190 --> 00:15:48,230 He can't even feed himself. 153 00:15:53,590 --> 00:15:57,230 All he does is get in everyone's way. 154 00:15:59,370 --> 00:16:01,530 His only purpose in life? 155 00:16:03,590 --> 00:16:09,210 To mate with queens from other hives and spread his family's genes. 156 00:16:12,910 --> 00:16:15,550 It's the reason for his large eyes. 157 00:16:16,330 --> 00:16:18,250 Twice the size of his sisters. 158 00:16:19,890 --> 00:16:23,050 They give him a complete view of the skies. 159 00:16:25,490 --> 00:16:28,510 Perfect for spotting queens in flight. 160 00:16:30,250 --> 00:16:32,210 Just not his sister. 161 00:16:32,730 --> 00:16:36,870 She must go find her own drones from another hive. 162 00:16:44,250 --> 00:16:45,430 She'll mate... 163 00:16:45,680 --> 00:16:47,020 with up to 20 of them. 164 00:16:48,360 --> 00:16:51,380 A trait unique to honeybee queens. 165 00:16:54,100 --> 00:16:56,960 Most bees have a single partner. 166 00:16:59,300 --> 00:17:03,780 And for some, finding that mate is a dangerous task. 167 00:17:09,440 --> 00:17:13,619 This is one of Australia's driest deserts. 168 00:17:18,960 --> 00:17:25,560 but for just a few weeks a year carpets of nectar -rich flowers bloom and 169 00:17:25,560 --> 00:17:32,160 when they pop up so do one of the largest bees on the planet 170 00:17:48,330 --> 00:17:49,950 a female Dawson's bee. 171 00:17:55,350 --> 00:18:02,230 She spent a year alone underground, waiting for this very moment to find a 172 00:18:07,150 --> 00:18:14,070 Her radiating 173 00:18:14,070 --> 00:18:16,970 scent has lured in dozens of contenders. 174 00:18:23,370 --> 00:18:25,270 But she only needs one. 175 00:18:38,910 --> 00:18:41,130 It's smart to stay in her hole. 176 00:18:41,910 --> 00:18:42,990 Out of reach. 177 00:18:48,290 --> 00:18:52,030 Let the males take their frustration out on each other. 178 00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:06,620 Another female tries her luck and 179 00:19:06,620 --> 00:19:09,580 gets more than she bargained for. 180 00:19:19,960 --> 00:19:23,180 Since female dorsal bees only mate once, 181 00:19:24,300 --> 00:19:26,260 Competition is fierce. 182 00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:35,260 In the pileup, this female could be injured. 183 00:19:36,120 --> 00:19:37,440 Or worse. 184 00:19:46,580 --> 00:19:52,960 Her scent is so powerful that even after death, it's... still attracts 185 00:19:52,960 --> 00:19:53,960 attention. 186 00:20:04,860 --> 00:20:11,540 Most females have now emerged, and there are fewer active males. 187 00:20:15,040 --> 00:20:18,680 The cautious female checks out the scene. 188 00:20:25,710 --> 00:20:26,810 Just one male. 189 00:20:28,490 --> 00:20:31,190 The perfect time to make a move. 190 00:20:37,830 --> 00:20:39,270 But it's a mistake. 191 00:20:42,830 --> 00:20:44,790 Males are relentless. 192 00:20:55,440 --> 00:20:57,660 But she has found the one. 193 00:20:58,940 --> 00:21:01,320 And he holds on for dear life. 194 00:21:06,580 --> 00:21:11,340 They must reach cover as fast as her little legs can carry them. 195 00:21:23,640 --> 00:21:24,640 Finally. 196 00:21:34,110 --> 00:21:40,930 Once mated, her scent changes and the males lose all 197 00:21:40,930 --> 00:21:41,930 interest. 198 00:21:45,090 --> 00:21:48,570 Her timing has been perfect. 199 00:21:52,030 --> 00:21:58,960 A brief burst of flowers provides her and her young with everything they'll 200 00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:07,880 back 201 00:22:07,880 --> 00:22:14,460 at the hive the queen has successfully mated 202 00:22:14,460 --> 00:22:17,060 and makes her triumphant return 203 00:22:24,750 --> 00:22:30,030 With her on egg -laying duty, the population boomed 204 00:22:30,030 --> 00:22:36,710 and the workers ramped up productivity. 205 00:22:46,350 --> 00:22:49,190 Nectar collection is in full swing. 206 00:22:53,390 --> 00:22:58,470 They need to make and store 40 pounds of honey to survive the winter. 207 00:23:00,190 --> 00:23:02,490 And they still have a way to go. 208 00:23:04,490 --> 00:23:11,390 With fall approaching and nectar drying up, every drop of stored honey 209 00:23:11,390 --> 00:23:12,390 is precious. 210 00:23:13,270 --> 00:23:17,690 Not to be wasted on freeloaders. 211 00:23:21,870 --> 00:23:27,530 With mating season over, the males have outstayed their welcome. 212 00:23:32,790 --> 00:23:35,790 So they're fit to colonel. 213 00:23:41,010 --> 00:23:43,990 Every drone is evicted. 214 00:23:45,190 --> 00:23:46,730 Dead or alive. 215 00:23:58,830 --> 00:24:02,570 And the hive becomes a female -only zone once more. 216 00:24:09,570 --> 00:24:14,550 With just a few weeks left until winter, it's a critical time. 217 00:24:15,670 --> 00:24:21,570 But it's now that many honeybees all over the world fall victim to something 218 00:24:21,570 --> 00:24:23,190 beyond their control. 219 00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:34,260 If you are going to understand... For entomologist Dr. 220 00:24:34,480 --> 00:24:40,080 Sammy Ramsey, stopping this threat is his life's work. I want you to consider 221 00:24:40,080 --> 00:24:45,860 for a moment that you are a host to a parasite that is about the size of your 222 00:24:45,860 --> 00:24:52,600 hand. This body size ratio is wild. Honestly, it would be like a human 223 00:24:52,600 --> 00:24:53,980 having these. 224 00:24:54,660 --> 00:24:56,160 These are varroa mice. 225 00:24:56,760 --> 00:25:01,020 These are the parasites that honeybees have on their bodies that are actually 226 00:25:01,020 --> 00:25:03,060 liquefying their livers and sucking it out of them. 227 00:25:03,860 --> 00:25:09,300 The varroa mites are destructive on a scale that is hard to fathom at times. 228 00:25:10,500 --> 00:25:15,980 They are the most threatening, widely distributed parasite of bees on this 229 00:25:15,980 --> 00:25:16,980 planet. 230 00:25:18,120 --> 00:25:23,680 Sammy and his student Justin need to check on infested hives and assess the 231 00:25:23,680 --> 00:25:25,840 effects the mites have on the bees. 232 00:25:30,350 --> 00:25:32,410 Definitely deformed wing virus in this one. 233 00:25:32,850 --> 00:25:35,770 Yeah, poor girl. Her wings are just so short. 234 00:25:39,330 --> 00:25:44,590 They have so many cells that are opened on this frame. That is not a good sign. 235 00:25:45,390 --> 00:25:50,690 When Varroa infiltrate colonies and attach themselves to bees, they wreak 236 00:25:50,690 --> 00:25:52,030 on the bees' immune system. 237 00:25:53,110 --> 00:25:57,850 Viruses are able to grow out of control and cause these really problematic 238 00:25:57,850 --> 00:25:59,030 symptoms in the bees. 239 00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:05,460 To study the enemy, Sammy has a way to collect mites from a honeybee hive. 240 00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:08,160 There you go, there you go. 241 00:26:08,560 --> 00:26:10,440 About to donate your mites to science. 242 00:26:14,360 --> 00:26:19,540 Varroa mites don't stay attached to bees if their feet get covered with powdered 243 00:26:19,540 --> 00:26:20,540 sugar. 244 00:26:23,360 --> 00:26:28,460 Those are some dusty bees, so now we just roll it and then we shake. 245 00:26:29,320 --> 00:26:33,500 That sugar will get into all the crevices, and then they'll slide right 246 00:26:33,500 --> 00:26:34,500 bees. 247 00:26:34,600 --> 00:26:38,480 Sorry, ladies. This is for your own good. You don't want these mites, I 248 00:26:41,080 --> 00:26:44,420 Check it out. This colony is mighty for sure. 249 00:26:45,420 --> 00:26:46,420 Whew. 250 00:26:47,200 --> 00:26:48,540 This is my favorite part, though. 251 00:26:48,920 --> 00:26:50,580 I get to actually put them back home. 252 00:26:56,300 --> 00:26:58,660 All right, ladies. You are going to be really popular. 253 00:27:02,229 --> 00:27:03,910 Who doesn't love a sweet bee? 254 00:27:09,290 --> 00:27:14,910 Returning to his lab, Sammy wants to test the mites on a special group of 255 00:27:17,370 --> 00:27:21,410 They could hold the solution to dealing with infestations. 256 00:27:23,470 --> 00:27:26,650 Ready? We can introduce those mites. 257 00:27:26,960 --> 00:27:33,880 into our observation hive, and we can watch how the bees actually handle a 258 00:27:33,880 --> 00:27:35,240 influx of mites all at once. 259 00:27:35,540 --> 00:27:36,660 All right, close it, close it, close it. 260 00:27:36,900 --> 00:27:37,900 There you go. Good. 261 00:27:40,820 --> 00:27:45,840 These mite right there on the glass, they're waiting for a bee to pass by 262 00:27:45,840 --> 00:27:47,000 they can just latch on to. 263 00:27:54,240 --> 00:27:55,240 There you go. 264 00:27:57,960 --> 00:28:01,080 These mites are masters of disguise. 265 00:28:02,620 --> 00:28:08,240 They have learned all the different ways of masking their smell, even the feel 266 00:28:08,240 --> 00:28:09,240 of their bodies. 267 00:28:11,080 --> 00:28:17,780 They mimic the plates and hairs of the bee's body, such that when a bee is 268 00:28:17,780 --> 00:28:21,720 touching itself, the parasite feels like its own body. 269 00:28:24,260 --> 00:28:25,880 But this colony... 270 00:28:26,250 --> 00:28:27,650 has a unique superpower. 271 00:28:28,870 --> 00:28:35,790 The bees in our observation hive are the specific genetic stock that's able 272 00:28:35,790 --> 00:28:40,450 to resist certain elements of the Varroa mites takeover of the colony. 273 00:28:41,830 --> 00:28:47,390 Compared to typical honey bees, these bees groom their bodies much more 274 00:28:47,390 --> 00:28:48,390 frequently. 275 00:28:49,050 --> 00:28:52,710 They can tell that something is wrong and they need to do something about it. 276 00:28:55,150 --> 00:28:56,750 Well done, you. Yeah. 277 00:29:02,190 --> 00:29:06,750 Sammy and his team hope that if this grooming trait can be genetically 278 00:29:06,750 --> 00:29:13,230 reproduced in other honeybees, Varroa mites won't get the chance to spread 279 00:29:13,230 --> 00:29:14,250 deadly viruses. 280 00:29:22,870 --> 00:29:28,670 Despite this threat, The global honeybee population is still in the trillions. 281 00:29:30,550 --> 00:29:36,490 And our passion for beekeeping has caused some unexpected problems for wild 282 00:29:36,490 --> 00:29:37,490 bees. 283 00:29:38,930 --> 00:29:44,770 This little garden in the heart of the city was especially designed for bees of 284 00:29:44,770 --> 00:29:45,770 all kinds. 285 00:29:48,550 --> 00:29:51,150 This whole patch is just full of honeybees. 286 00:29:51,530 --> 00:29:56,290 One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven. 287 00:29:56,610 --> 00:29:58,450 You can see one big bumblebee back in there. 288 00:29:59,230 --> 00:30:02,670 But this whole patch is just loaded with honeybees. 289 00:30:04,310 --> 00:30:06,630 And it's easy to think, great, loads of bees. 290 00:30:07,170 --> 00:30:09,470 But actually it's more complicated than that. 291 00:30:10,690 --> 00:30:12,810 These honeybees aren't wild. 292 00:30:13,150 --> 00:30:15,870 They're domesticated, more like livestock. 293 00:30:16,530 --> 00:30:19,250 And I'm sure their hive isn't far from here. 294 00:30:19,850 --> 00:30:21,070 Just in London. 295 00:30:21,400 --> 00:30:24,720 there's an estimated 400 million honeybees. 296 00:30:25,060 --> 00:30:26,060 Whoa! 297 00:30:26,860 --> 00:30:29,700 40 times more than the human population. 298 00:30:31,940 --> 00:30:36,440 Because of the incredible way that honeybees communicate and work as a 299 00:30:36,700 --> 00:30:41,080 they're often the first to find these fresh patches of flowers. 300 00:30:41,600 --> 00:30:44,260 They just out -compete the wild bees. 301 00:30:48,460 --> 00:30:50,860 But there is one wild bee here. 302 00:30:51,340 --> 00:30:52,860 trying to stand up to them. 303 00:30:53,100 --> 00:30:59,500 In the corner of this patch of flowers, I have found a magical little kingdom. 304 00:31:02,180 --> 00:31:07,820 And the king of this kingdom, here he comes, is this guy. 305 00:31:09,660 --> 00:31:11,920 He's a male wall carder bee. 306 00:31:14,240 --> 00:31:19,960 Unlike the other bees on this patch, This male Cardi B is here to defend his 307 00:31:19,960 --> 00:31:20,960 territory. 308 00:31:22,060 --> 00:31:23,700 A lambs ear plant. 309 00:31:25,300 --> 00:31:27,480 Hoping a female turns up. 310 00:31:28,260 --> 00:31:31,940 Anyone that comes into his little patch gets a beating. 311 00:31:33,120 --> 00:31:34,480 Oh, honey bee. 312 00:31:35,640 --> 00:31:36,640 Here he comes. 313 00:31:46,350 --> 00:31:47,350 Get out of here. 314 00:31:50,090 --> 00:31:51,290 Oh, honey bee. 315 00:31:53,110 --> 00:31:54,110 Here he goes. 316 00:31:58,310 --> 00:32:02,230 It's incredible how much action and drama there is just in this little 317 00:32:06,470 --> 00:32:07,850 He's just so feisty. 318 00:32:10,950 --> 00:32:13,070 Oh, bumblebee invader. He's not going to like that. 319 00:32:26,120 --> 00:32:32,720 Now that the coast is clear, the one bee he's been waiting for can finally make 320 00:32:32,720 --> 00:32:33,720 an appearance. 321 00:32:34,200 --> 00:32:35,800 Oh, here comes a female. 322 00:32:40,940 --> 00:32:43,620 He's going to take off in a second and get that female. 323 00:32:44,220 --> 00:32:48,040 Oh, a little bit of mating. 324 00:32:50,820 --> 00:32:54,160 Right now, this wool carder bee should... 325 00:32:54,380 --> 00:32:55,740 be focusing on females. 326 00:32:58,600 --> 00:33:03,680 Instead, he's constantly chasing honeybees, feeding in his territory. 327 00:33:05,580 --> 00:33:08,220 He must be just completely exhausted. 328 00:33:11,900 --> 00:33:16,560 It used to be thought that to save the bees, put in lots of hives. But the 329 00:33:16,560 --> 00:33:20,840 reality is that what you're doing by introducing these new honeybee hives is 330 00:33:20,840 --> 00:33:22,780 just introducing more competition. 331 00:33:24,940 --> 00:33:29,700 What's important is giving wild species like the carder bee enough space and 332 00:33:29,700 --> 00:33:30,700 food to thrive. 333 00:33:34,620 --> 00:33:39,760 Up to a quarter of all wild bee species are in decline. 334 00:33:43,080 --> 00:33:49,020 But there's one wild bee who, with a helping hand, is making a surprising 335 00:33:49,020 --> 00:33:50,020 comeback. 336 00:34:00,940 --> 00:34:04,860 A melipona bee on lookout duty. 337 00:34:07,000 --> 00:34:11,840 Her job is to guard the nest entrance from insect invaders. 338 00:34:14,920 --> 00:34:19,780 And she's got every angle covered. 339 00:34:25,280 --> 00:34:28,699 Unlike honeybees, she's stingless. 340 00:34:29,480 --> 00:34:33,780 But who needs a sting when you've got jaws like these? 341 00:34:35,520 --> 00:34:42,480 For the next two weeks, she'll stay right here, all day, protecting 342 00:34:42,480 --> 00:34:46,139 the colony so her sisters can focus on foraging. 343 00:34:49,320 --> 00:34:54,159 Meliponas feed from over 60 plant species in the Mexican jungle. 344 00:34:57,160 --> 00:35:02,500 Without these vital pollinators, this unique ecosystem could disappear. 345 00:35:06,540 --> 00:35:10,900 At the nest, our sentinel is still on high alert. 346 00:35:12,540 --> 00:35:19,280 Not just for approaching enemies, but so she knows when to duck 347 00:35:19,280 --> 00:35:21,940 for her returning cystics. 348 00:35:23,880 --> 00:35:25,660 A dangerous job. 349 00:35:27,090 --> 00:35:29,370 But someone's got to do it. 350 00:35:31,570 --> 00:35:35,810 Because inside is a real treasure. 351 00:35:39,910 --> 00:35:43,910 Future generations of meliponas in their cells. 352 00:35:50,390 --> 00:35:54,950 These bees used to be found all across Central America. 353 00:35:56,490 --> 00:35:59,190 But their range is now much smaller. 354 00:36:00,590 --> 00:36:05,610 Habitat loss and pesticides mean their numbers have dropped dramatically. 355 00:36:08,350 --> 00:36:11,230 Humans haven't been good to them. 356 00:36:15,470 --> 00:36:17,430 But that's changing. 357 00:36:26,190 --> 00:36:27,230 All is found. 358 00:36:29,550 --> 00:36:36,110 Donia Antonia Coya and her Mayan community have rekindled the ancient art 359 00:36:36,110 --> 00:36:37,410 Melipona beekeeping. 360 00:36:45,570 --> 00:36:48,730 They could bite her, but don't. 361 00:36:50,830 --> 00:36:52,790 Antonia is one of the team. 362 00:37:16,800 --> 00:37:21,920 Antonia provides the bees with a clean home, sheltered from the sun. 363 00:37:22,600 --> 00:37:26,900 and bordered by water so other insects can't scuttle in. 364 00:37:30,520 --> 00:37:35,060 It doesn't mean our guard takes her job any less seriously. 365 00:37:37,220 --> 00:37:43,260 But the added protection gives the sisters more time and space to produce 366 00:37:43,260 --> 00:37:48,900 of the most valuable honey in the world, prized for its medicinal qualities. 367 00:37:51,530 --> 00:37:58,090 Unlike honeybees, who process their honey by fanning it, meliponas blow 368 00:37:58,090 --> 00:38:00,770 into bubbles to evaporate the water, 369 00:38:00,970 --> 00:38:07,210 then stash it in giant pots. 370 00:38:13,530 --> 00:38:19,870 The melipona beekeeping knowledge is passed through the generations. 371 00:38:21,710 --> 00:38:25,430 and any new helper needs to be introduced to the bees. 372 00:38:33,350 --> 00:38:38,070 Antonia harvests just 30 ounces from each colony per year, 373 00:38:38,350 --> 00:38:43,650 far less than a typical honeybee hive would produce. 374 00:38:45,630 --> 00:38:51,930 By keeping meliponas, she's not only making herself a useful income, but also 375 00:38:51,930 --> 00:38:56,590 helping a wild species and the forest that depends on them. 376 00:39:05,190 --> 00:39:11,270 But the global demand for honey ultimately depends on large -scale 377 00:39:11,470 --> 00:39:12,670 like Ryan. 378 00:39:14,530 --> 00:39:19,350 His bees are now back in Oregon after the almond pollination. 379 00:39:19,920 --> 00:39:22,180 to spend the rest of the year making honey. 380 00:39:23,000 --> 00:39:24,860 But they've had a rough time. 381 00:39:25,940 --> 00:39:28,240 For us, this year was the worst. 382 00:39:29,320 --> 00:39:34,360 The percentage of our bees that died was over 50%. 383 00:39:34,360 --> 00:39:41,280 I'm a fifth -generation beekeeper, and I'm telling you this is not 384 00:39:41,280 --> 00:39:42,280 sustainable. 385 00:39:43,220 --> 00:39:45,980 So Ryan has an ambitious plan. 386 00:39:48,880 --> 00:39:53,720 With the help of his family, he's attempting to do what few have done 387 00:39:54,420 --> 00:39:59,480 We have 450 acres that we're going to convert to pollinator habitat. 388 00:40:01,780 --> 00:40:05,100 It's going to be one of the largest in the entire continental U .S. 389 00:40:06,300 --> 00:40:12,060 Ryan is growing a massive wildflower meadow that will provide for his 390 00:40:12,060 --> 00:40:16,100 and produce large quantities of top quality honey. 391 00:40:17,520 --> 00:40:20,960 This one's a sand point, and the alfalfa's a little tiny one. 392 00:40:21,200 --> 00:40:25,600 They look like tiny rocks. Yeah, aren't they pretty, like little Easter eggs? 393 00:40:25,800 --> 00:40:26,800 Yeah. 394 00:40:28,800 --> 00:40:33,220 Ryan is blending a mix of wildflowers, which will ensure there's always 395 00:40:33,220 --> 00:40:36,480 something in bloom between spring and fall. 396 00:40:37,240 --> 00:40:38,660 Okay, ready for a drive? 397 00:40:38,880 --> 00:40:39,880 Yeah! 398 00:40:56,970 --> 00:41:01,970 Now all Ryan has to do is wait for nature to take its course. 399 00:41:12,470 --> 00:41:13,470 Look at the color. 400 00:41:14,290 --> 00:41:15,910 Have you ever seen one that color before? 401 00:41:17,590 --> 00:41:18,790 That's amazing, Ryan. 402 00:41:20,310 --> 00:41:22,690 Let's try some bugs. Let's go find a bug right here. 403 00:41:23,810 --> 00:41:25,350 Walking with the kids. 404 00:41:25,920 --> 00:41:29,940 through the flowered meadows to show them all the pollinators, not just the 405 00:41:29,940 --> 00:41:34,380 honeybees, but all these different style pollinators, leafcutter bees, solitary 406 00:41:34,380 --> 00:41:37,600 bees. They get interested in what they're seeing. 407 00:41:39,440 --> 00:41:41,820 Quite the little ecosystem on this bush, huh? 408 00:41:42,940 --> 00:41:44,620 What is that? Whoa. 409 00:41:45,080 --> 00:41:47,860 It's a honeybee. It's a honeybee. It's two honeybees. 410 00:41:48,280 --> 00:41:49,500 They're sleeping in there. 411 00:41:50,120 --> 00:41:51,120 Oh. 412 00:41:52,460 --> 00:41:55,100 Because they got cold during the rainstorm. Oh, my God. 413 00:41:55,370 --> 00:41:56,370 Are they dead? 414 00:41:56,430 --> 00:41:58,670 No, no, they're sleeping. It's like when they get cold. 415 00:41:58,990 --> 00:42:02,930 They don't even know they're learning, but they're gaining such an insight to 416 00:42:02,930 --> 00:42:06,490 the system of feeds to flowers to pollinators. 417 00:42:10,290 --> 00:42:11,850 Can you hit it with the tip of your tongue? 418 00:42:12,750 --> 00:42:14,850 It's good, right? Are you a bee now? 419 00:42:15,450 --> 00:42:16,770 Are you going to go pollinate something? 420 00:42:18,010 --> 00:42:22,950 Ryan hopes to give up the annual almond pollination journey and instead... 421 00:42:23,370 --> 00:42:27,330 develop sustainable beekeeping here at home in Oregon. 422 00:42:28,730 --> 00:42:34,410 Creating the pollinator habitat, it's something that I can do to give back. 423 00:42:40,510 --> 00:42:42,190 We can all play a role. 424 00:42:42,990 --> 00:42:46,590 We can plant more flowers or we can stop destroying them. 425 00:42:47,830 --> 00:42:49,930 Either way it's a positive impact. 426 00:43:02,570 --> 00:43:09,130 With winter just around the corner the time has come to see if the hive is 427 00:43:09,130 --> 00:43:11,870 Let's take a look 428 00:43:11,870 --> 00:43:17,150 Wow 429 00:43:17,150 --> 00:43:24,050 So much honey You have been busy 430 00:43:24,050 --> 00:43:31,050 bees You can see each one of these cells is just packed full of honey and 431 00:43:31,050 --> 00:43:33,820 on top is that Thin little membrane cap. 432 00:43:34,480 --> 00:43:38,200 And that's like the bees putting a lid on their jars of honey. 433 00:43:39,440 --> 00:43:43,640 Against the odds, the hive has triumphed. 434 00:43:44,340 --> 00:43:48,040 They've made enough honey to survive the winter. 435 00:43:51,880 --> 00:43:53,000 Good job, bee. 436 00:43:53,300 --> 00:43:54,300 You've done it. 437 00:44:04,910 --> 00:44:07,390 The honeybee will always be our loyal friend. 438 00:44:09,210 --> 00:44:12,850 But we've got a lot more to thank them for than just honey. They are a key 439 00:44:12,850 --> 00:44:14,090 pollinator of our crop. 440 00:44:16,810 --> 00:44:20,730 It's worth remembering there are over 20 ,000 other species. 441 00:44:22,090 --> 00:44:25,890 And together, they're responsible for a third of the food we eat. 442 00:44:29,210 --> 00:44:31,570 But many are in steep decline. 443 00:44:32,330 --> 00:44:33,330 And some... 444 00:44:33,690 --> 00:44:35,110 on the very edge of extinction. 445 00:44:37,670 --> 00:44:42,450 We are now changing the world faster than ever before, and they just can't 446 00:44:42,450 --> 00:44:45,510 up. So it's not just a shame that we're losing the bees. 447 00:44:45,850 --> 00:44:47,190 We need the bees.