henry meets a honeybee come join henry as he takes a walk enjoying nature
and stumbles upon the adventure of a lifetime henry meets honey the queen bee of a local hive
and learns all about honeybees from a unique point of view watch how knowledge transforms
fear to admiration for one of nature's favorite pollinators henry meets a honeybee is written
and illustrated by justin ruger published and distributed by hippie chick apiary henry is
enjoying his community garden it's springtime the weather is warm and the sun is shining
henry loves the garden because he's able to see the butterflies flying and hear the birds
chirping henry loves the smell the sweet smells coming from the flowers
his favorite is the fragrant buds from the lavender plant as henry is smelling the lavender
he's greeted with not only a sweet smell but a buzzing honeybee oh no says henry as he jumps back
he remembers that honeybees have stingers and is afraid that being too close puts him in danger
little does he know that his view of honeybees is about to change forever because out from behind
the lavender bush pops a honeybee wearing a crown hello says the honeybee the honeybee continues
my name is honey i'm the queen bee of the hive in this garden and henry stammers you can talk
honey flies around henry's head while chuckling to herself why yes i can talk i'm here to teach
you about honeybees and why you shouldn't be afraid of us says honey thinking to himself
he mumbles what could go wrong no sooner does rung pass his lips and he starts to spin and shrink at
an alarming rate what is happening to me he yells out honey still circling the lavender bush says
to show you all about honeybees i've turned you into one henry getting used to his new wings flies
to the nearest puddle of water and sees his reflection oh no he exclaims what do i do now
honey looks at him and with a tilt of her crown says follow me and i will teach you what i can
buzzing through the air honey leads henry to a nearby newly opened lavender bud and henry still
adapting to his new wings struggles to keep up and finally joins her honey looks at henry now
listen here henry plants like lavender will not be possible without honeybees
we help them grow by carrying pollen from one plant to another this is called pollination and
without it plants would struggle to grow hurry on now honey says we have lots to see they take off
and fly through rows of plants dodging stems and flying past other insects who live in the garden
henry new to being a honeybee gets used to flying and loses his concentration bang
henry feels a big push on his side as he is thrust to the right this startles him until
he looks up and realizes he almost ran into a large wooden frame that has a small opening honey
who knocked henry out of the way exclaims what are you thinking you almost ran into our home
henry is blown away by the size and busyness of the hive it is so large compared to him and honey
nothing could explain the large number of bees flying back and forth out of the hive opening
honey letting henry regain himself says welcome home this is the hive
henry looks around and notices that not all the bees look the same he turns to honey why are the
honeybees different sizes she answers happy that he's taking an interest the honey bees
are different sizes because they play different roles i am the largest states honey i am the queen
i am responsible for providing the new honeybees picking the home and keeping the hive together
there is only one of me also if i sing you it is to protect myself and it does not harm me
the second largest are the drones exclaims honey they are responsible for providing new honeybees
as well there is more than one drone but fewer than the worker bees drones do not have stingers
and will never bother you henry the smallest honeybees are the worker bees in forms honey
they are responsible for taking care of me nursing the new bees building and cleaning our home and
collecting the nectar and pollen from plants this is the bee that you met before i showed up
worker bees are the ones that you see out in the wild that people are afraid of being
stung by remember henry just like the humans honey bees only sting if they are threatened
so treat them with respect and you will never have an issue with them
now follow me henry she says as honey pushes henry towards the opening of the hive let's get inside
and see what it looks like on the inside before returning you to normal henry flies through the
opening amazed at the immediate sight around him the honeycomb glistening with the little light the
opening lets in henry stops i can't see he says honey says don't worry henry your eyes will adjust
unlike humans who need light to see honey bees have two eyes with five parts these eyes allow
the honey bees to distinguish between light and dark differently and see the world as a mosaic
rather than a single image as henry's eyes start to adjust a whole new world opens up for him he
watches in amazement as thousands of honeybees hustle around doing their jobs honey glistens
locked in the honeycomb and honey takes her place on the honeycomb as the queen of the bees
are you ready to learn about each job asks honey
henry bewilderman in his eyes utters a barely audible yes honey starts to walk away
as henry rushes to catch up quick follow me she says as she leads henry to the worker bees
who work as cleaners this is where the cleaners work when they are one to two days old
informs honey henry looked around at the bees who are cleaning and polishing the empty cells what
are they cleaning up for ask henry honey answering with a smirk why for me of course they're
preparing the cells for new eggs that i lay to store nectar and pollen for honey smiling even
bigger just like your parents and your room if the cells are not clean enough i make them do it again
now hurry along let us go see the nurse this is where the nurse bees work honey starts to describe
henry darts to a cell and starts staring at a circular worm looking thing in the cell what is
that henry asks excitedly our babies answers honey continuing these larvae are what come from the
eggs and are taken care of by the nurse bees the nurse bees check on them up to a thousand times
a day and feed them royal jelly to make them grow big and strong henry overloaded with information
as wow can there be any more glad you asked honey mutters as she whisks henry to the builders
henry and honey watch the bees move back and forth making beeswax building the cells that the
larvae grow within and the cleaners clean these are the builders they're responsible for making
the wax that builds the cells honey explains as henry listens intently and she continues with
the builders need large amounts of food to make these wax flakes and they build
them into honeycomb structures wow exclaims henry before stopping short looking worried henry states
it is starting to get hot in here honey leading the way let us go see the temperature bees
ah this is henry with a sigh of relief it's much cooler here these are the temperature control bees
says honey they're responsible for cooling the hive in spring and summer well what keeps it warm
in winter as henry honey looking saddened explains we have to huddle together to keep warm in winter
as there's not enough food or heat for all of us but we make it work and i lay eggs to
replace anyone who does not make it this is so interesting but i have a question states henry
who protects the hive i thought you'd never ask states honey leading henry back to the entrance
to teach him about the last two jobs of worker bees now we'll teach you about
the foragers and the guard bees says honey stopping to see if henry is still with her
she continues these are the guard bees their last job before becoming foragers
they're responsible for keeping away bees from other hives called robbers and other pets that
may try to get in the hive their role is vital to the survival of the hive itself
wide-eyed as bees fly in and out with giant yellow balls of pollen around their legs henry asks what
are they tipping her crown as the forager passes by those are the foragers and they're
responsible for getting pollen and nectar from the plants as you saw before this entire journey
plants would not grow without us and as we would not grow without them let's head back inside henry
says honey as they enter the hive henry hears a rumble and notices light flooding the hive ah
the beekeeper is here exclaims honey he will be looking for me to make sure i'm healthy and okay
as well as looking at the rest of the hive to make sure we are healthy this is the end of our journey
henry you go and head back to the community garden you'll find you become a boy again at the lavender
plant henry flustered by the commotion and buzzing flies past billows of smoke taking a second to
look over his shoulder he mouths thank you and continues on his journey past the lilies and lands
on the bud of the lavender plant without a moment to lose henry tries to rush the process
of becoming a boy again saying i want to be a boy again i want to be a boy again before you know it
a shimmering swirl of light and an immediate increase in size henry realizes he has become
a boy again after his experience henry vows to do his part to save the bees and become a beekeeper