One of the most iconic sounds of summer is the buzzing of bees. Flying from flower to flower, bees do their thing. They’re fun to watch - just don’t get in their way.It’s happened to all of us. As children, we would be playing in the yard, having a great time laughing and running with our siblings and friends, and then it happened.We grabbed a ball, or our rollerblades and felt a sharp stinging sensation. This was usually accompanied by a loud yell and often some tears.

We had been stung by a bee. In my house, bee stings were treated with a mixed paste of baking soda and water which was applied to the sting. 

It would dry after a few minutes and flake off, and I’d be back to playing whatever game I had left.

I am fortunate not to be allergic to bee stings, but I have a son who, like approximately five to seven percent of Americans, has this allergy.

We discovered my son’s allergy when we got a call from his elementary school saying Sean had been stung.

When my husband arrived at the school, Sean’s face had swollen up badly, and he resembled a football.

Anaphylaxis, a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction, is not common. About four in every thousand children in the States have such an extreme reaction to bee stings.

But such a reaction must be taken very seriously. It takes about two hours from the time of the sting for the throat to start swelling and for hives to develop.

An epipen is the standard equipment for those who suffer from a bee sting allergy. For young children, it is recommended that an epipen be left at the school office in case of emergency.

Bees are often feared by people because of the hurtful sting they can give, and it’s not just children who fear them. I know adults who will speed into the house at the mere sound of a bee.

A bee’s sting, however, is its way of protecting itself. Imagine, for a moment, that you are a bee. 

You’re about 2 millimeters to four centimeters in length, and weigh in at one tenth of a gram! That’s tiny!

As you’re going about your business, all of a sudden a giant hand comes on top of you. You have to defend yourself, so you use what you’re equipped with to get this thing off you.

You pull out your stinger and zap the object. That seems fair, right?

Bees are super fascinating! It’s estimated that there are 20,000 species of bees! Of those, the most familiar to us are the honeybee and the bumblebee.

The bumblebee is a favorite with children’s authors. It has a plump, round body with bright yellow and black stripes, making it easily identifiable and downright cute.

The bumblebee, like many other bees, plays an important part in the environment. Bees are often seen at flowers.

This is because they get nectar and pollen from these plants. As they move from flower to flower, they spread the pollen to other plants.

Bees are super pollinators which means they help many, many plants grow. This is absolutely essential to us, as humans, since we need feed to survive.

The honeybee, as its name suggests, produces honey! I love honey! Honey Bees live in large groups in a hive.

In each hive, there is a queen bee. The is in charge in the hive, plus she lays eggs to produce the next generation of honey bees.

Male honey bees are called drones and they mate with the queen to produce the eggs.The worker bees make up the rest of the hive and they do what their name suggests. It’s the worker bees we see flying around gathering nectar and pollen.

There are many, many more fascinating facts about bees. If you share a fascination with me for bees then you will be excited to dive into our “Buzzing Bees Coloring Book” with its fifty pages of all sorts of bees!

Not only will you have fun coloring these wonderful illustrations, but you will enjoy many benefits that come from the simple activity of coloring.