Do Bees Poop?

The bee is a prestigious and popular member of the class Insecta and the Andrenidae family. Scientifically known as Apis mellifera, bees can be found on virtually every continent of the world except Antarctica. They are also very impactful because a ton of them produce honey and others are essential pollinators. One way or the other, they help provide food for animals and humans alike. 

Given their appearance and the fact that they produce honey, it’s pretty hard to imagine bees pooping. In this article, we’ll discover whether bees poop at all as well as other related details. Let’s roll. 

Do Bees Poop?

Bees are mostly known as natural producers of honey (though not all species do this). Hence, many people find it hard to picture them pooping. While that is cute and all, bees actually have a digestive system that allows them to poop. They also eat like most other creatures and excrete undigested waste products, also known as feces. 

What Does Bee Poop Look Like?

Bee poop comes in tiny yellow droplets with a pasty texture. The scat is almost always solid as the solid poop is indicative of good health. It may also be shaped somewhat like a sausage. This has been affirmed by experts as well as beekeepers, some of whom claim to see it on their cars, windowsills, and other places. 

Their poop notably contains pollen grains and scraps of undigested pollen fats, among other waste products. 

Do Bees Pee?

Like most other insects, bees don’t pee, at least not in the manner that humans and other mammals do. They, however, excrete uric acid which comes out of the same rectum as their poop. Uric acid can be solid or liquid and it would be inaccurate to flat out call it “pee”. 

Do Bees Fart?

Bees have the ability to pass gas because their digestive system processes food which may trigger gas production. They certainly don’t fart as much as humans and other mammals and that’s due, in part, to their inability to inhale air through their mouths. Some experts also posit that bees fart when they are forced to restrain themselves from pooping during the winter. 

How Do Bees Poop?

As we mentioned before, bees have a functional digestive system that processes food and excretes waste through the rectum. Admittedly, their digestive system is a lot less convoluted than what you have in humans and other mammals. 

Essentially, poop comes out through the bee’s rectum. Bees ingest pollen and nectar which is then broken down with the aid of the salivary gland after which the broken down food then travels through the digestive tract. 

The digestive tract includes the foregut, midgut, and hindgut, where the core of digestion happens. The midgut particularly is where most of the digestion happens because of the presence of a wide range of enzymes that trigger metabolism. The hindgut features the ileum, where every other remnant from the digestion moves to, and the rectum which collects the waste products for eventual excretion. 

Can Honey Be Regarded as Bee Poop?

Many people have wondered whether honey can legitimately be regarded as poop since it “flows out” of some bee species (honey bees). However, there is no world where it is accurate to regard honey as bee scat. For starters, honey bees work industriously in groups of thousands to make honey so it’s kind of disrespectful to liken their handiwork to poop. Also, honey does not emerge from the bee’s rectum as poop does. 

Do Bees Feed On Poop and Urine?

In the general sense, bees do not have a special liking for fecal matter from other animals or bees. However, a popular bee species known as the bumble bee has been observed to sip urine and feed on bird droppings from time to time. 

Also, some other bee species have been observed to eat poop from other bees and researchers say this weird habit may be connected to strengthening their immune systems. 

Where Do Bees Poop?

Bees, especially honey bees, are actually some of the most hygienic creatures ever. Since groups of bees live together in a hive, scientists say one out of four bee groups go outside the hive to do their business. The rest (queen, larvae, and drones), however, get to defecate within the hive while the others clean it up, to keep the hive clean. 

Bees that poop outside and engage in port-a-potty duties are known as worker bees. During winter, worker bees are known to hold in their poop until spring because pooping alongside their cleaning duties gets arduous for them during these periods. Once spring surfaces, they let out their feces. 

Also, since they spend time foraging, bees often poop while flying. This means if you stay around a hive, you might find bee poop on your car, windowsills and pretty much everywhere they fly outside the hive. They have been observed to avoid pooping on flowers, especially ones that serve as a major food source. 

What Do Bees Eat?

Bees mostly prefer to eat and drink pollen and nectar which they derive from flowers. They may also feed on trees, shrubs, garden plants, and even overripe fruits. Safe to say they are predominantly herbivorous, although some researchers argue that they are omnivores. 

Honey bees also make honey and store them in wax combs which serves as one of the major food sources for the bees during winter when there are fewer flowers and reduced foraging opportunities. 

How Often Do Bees Poop?

Bees often poop multiple times a week. However, during winter, worker bees may hold in their poop for months until spring, as explained earlier. 

Does Bee Poop Smell?

If asked to guess what bee poop smells like, most people would say tolerable, because of their classiness and the fact that they produce sweet honey. As simplistic as that reason may be, the guess is actually right. Bee poop has a tolerable smell that can be likened to liquefied pollen with an almost sweet smell. 

However, within the beehive, some bees may suffer from diarrhea which is majorly symptomized by a rancid smell from the bee’s poop. This smell can be recognized by other bees as well as experienced beekeepers. 

Is Bee Poop Harmful?

Truth is, bee poop is not at all harmful or toxic to human beings. However, their scat can spread diseases among colonies which could threaten the hive’s overall health and hygiene. This is one reason some bees often poop outside while those that poop within the hive get worker bees to clean up after them. 

Up Next:

• Bee Predators: What Eats Bees?
• Queen Bee vs Worker Bee: What are the Differences?
• Are Bumble Bees Dangerous?

The photo featured at the top of this post is © iStock.com/William Jones-Warner