(bees buzzing) - [Narrator] Honeybees, we know them to be
hardworking and intelligent, industriously turning nectar into honey. (lively music) But until we started to exploit
them for our own purpose, honeybees were just one of the many different kinds of bees
in our countryside. (whimsical music) There are in fact nearly 2,000 species of wild bee in Europe, 20,000 worldwide. Most of them go about their
daily business unnoticed, flitting from flower to flower
feeding on nectar and pollen. They can see colors and detect
smells that we can't sense. But have these humble
bees other hidden talents that we've overlooked? And what's the secret of their success? (lively music) (bird tweeting) A bank of tussled grass
and some bare earth. It's a perfect habitat for wild bees. The ground is still hard
from the winter frost but will soon warm up in the spring sun. The coltsfoot flower is
one of the first to bloom, bringing a welcome splash of color and an early offering of food for bees. (birds tweeting) Solitary bees emerge from their burrows. They've spent the winter asleep and now need to refuel their bodies. They're soon covered in pollen. It's an age-old exchange. The bee carries the pollen
from flower to flower and in return is rewarded
with sweet nectar. The pollen literally
jumps from flower to bee, and it's all down to static electricity which the bees pick up in flight. (bees buzzing) Many solitary bees build
their nest underground. The female excavates a hole in the soil into which she'll lay her egg. She also exudes a strong perfume that is irresistible to males. (bee buzzing) The buzzing noise soon attracts others. (bees buzzing) And within minutes, a frenzy
of males has descended on her. (bees buzzing) Not all solitary bees nest in the ground. (saw whining) And many will happily move
into man-made accommodation. (bright music) A wooden box filled with twigs and logs is all that's needed to make a bee hotel. The rooms are simply holes
drilled into blocks of wood. Erected in early spring
and facing southwards, it won't be long before
the first guests move in. (bee buzzing)
(birds tweeting) The hollow stems are a
favorite with mason bees. They patrol the nest holes,
waiting for potential mates. (bird tweeting) (bees buzzing) While the mason bees
are otherwise occupied, an imposter, a cuckoo wasp
tries to sneak its egg into an unattended nest. (bee buzzing)
(birds tweeting) Not far from the bee hotel, another more dangerous
intruder is about to emerge. (ominous music) A black oil beetle. It's bad news for bees, and
it has a voracious appetite. (birds tweeting) (whimsical music) As the sun warms up the grassy slopes, other spring flowers awaken. Unfurling their large colorful blooms, their aim is to attract the
attention of insect pollinators. (bee buzzing) (fanciful music) The black oil beetle is also drawn to the bright and sweet-smelling blossoms. A female beetle can lay over
a thousand eggs at a time, but to do so, she has to
devour vast quantities of food. (suspenseful music) She heads straight for the most nutritious parts of the flower. (bee buzzing) The catkins of the pussy willow attract more visitors than any other. Each tree has either
male or female flowers, so they depend on bees and butterflies to carry the pollen between them. But not all pollen makes it
to the intended destination. (bee buzzing) Mining bees carry some back
to their underground nests to ensure their larvae have an
instant meal when they hatch. Meanwhile, the female oil beetle
has picked up a passenger. The smaller male will hang onto her back until he gets the chance to mate. The mining bee has
little idea of the danger her larvae could be in. (suspenseful music) And there are other threats
to the mining bee's offspring. She has returned to her nest to find an intruder at the door. A wasp-like cuckoo bee
is trying to break in. (ominous music) Another one has been caught in the act. Cuckoo bees don't build
nests of their own, but like their namesake,
try to sneak their eggs into those of others. They're waiting for an unguarded moment when they can slip inside. Many of these parasites
only target one kind of bee. This red blood bee is homing in on the nest of a plasterer bee, but she doesn't know that
the female is inside. The imposter quietly enters the tunnel (suspenseful music) and comes face to face with the owner. A short standoff and then
buzzing her discontent, the larger plasterer be
sees off the intruder. (whimsical music)
(birds tweeting) (bee buzzing) Early morning frost
still cloaks the ground, but each day heralds the
arrival of more spring flowers. (calm music) The common lungwort pushes its
way through the leaf litter, offering up its flowers
in two different colors. The buds open in pink
but turn blue with age. This change in color is
a signal to pollinators. The pink indicates there is
plenty of pollen and nectar, so bees don't waste energy
visiting old blooms, and the flowers have a better
chance of being pollinated. (bee buzzing) (bird tweeting) (bee buzzing) Bumblebees are among the
most active in early spring, their thick, furry coat
providing good insulation. Only the queens have survived the winter and now have to start a new colony. (suspenseful music) She searches the ground
for a sheltered spot. An old mouse tunnel could be just right. But the owner has not yet moved out. She tries to persuade the
sleepy animal to make way. Unfazed by the size of her opponent, she intensifies her attack and pulls out her most impressive weapon. The mouse has had enough. (bee buzzing) (calm music) The mosaic structure of our landscape provides homes to many
different kinds of bees. Flooded meadows are rich in flowers with large and colorful blooms. The snake's head fritillary is one of the most bold and striking but has become a rare sight in the wild. The red mason bee is dwarfed
by the huge flower heads, but a single one will provide it with ample nectar for the day. Each petal has its own gland
that produces a sugary liquid. (calm music)
(birds tweeting) (bee buzzing) The bee hotel is now
surrounded by colorful blossoms providing plenty of
food for its residents. (bird calling) The old orchard trees have
catered to generations of bees and depend on their services. The open shape of the flowers
makes them easily accessible. (bird calling) (bee buzzing) The trees also attract
other kinds of creatures, a wryneck. The apple tree has to receive
pollen from another tree if it's to bear any fruit. (bird calling) Each flower that is fertilized
will produce an apple. (bee buzzing)
(bird calling) (wings flapping) (bird tweeting) (bird calling) And as most gardeners know, the more bees, the greater will be the harvest of fruit. (bee buzzing) And there is plenty of
pollen left for the bees to take some down into the
nest to provision their young. (bees buzzing)
(birds tweeting) But it's not just our fruit
trees that bees pollinate. One-third of all plants
we eat depend on bees, and it's a coexistence that's
crucial to our own survival. A minaret of mud, it's the
entrance to a sweat bee's nest. (calm music) The long and narrow tunnel entrance safeguards from intruders, but not from all. A large bee fly powders
the tip of her abdomen with fine sand to camouflage
her secret weapon. (ominous music) The furry fly is easily
mistaken for a bee, and maybe this allows her to
make her approach unnoticed. She's looking for the burrows
of ground-nesting bees. (dramatic music) Once located, she releases her missile. She catapults her egg with fine precision into the entrance of the nest. If successful, her young will hatch inside and kill the owner's young. The towers of soil
constructed by the sweat bees are cemented together with saliva. (thunder booms) (water plops) The industrious bees are not
put off by the impending rain. They continue to excavate and build. (thunder rumbling) (rain pattering) The downpour does little
damage to the earthen mounds. The bee saliva is waterproof, and the nest below ground will stay dry. (calm music) These sweat bees live in colonies
of hundreds of individuals and work together to
raise the next generation. The grub-like larva each
have their own little chamber and will remain in their nursery until they hatch into adults. In charge of the colony is a queen that looks little
different from the workers, but unlike them, she will
live to be six years old, a formidable age for a bee. Both workers and queen helped
to excavate the brood cells and provision them with pollen
and nectar for the young. The bees will remain
underground for almost a year, reappearing at the surface
the following spring. How they are able to do
so remains a mystery. (sheep baaing) The grazing sheep pose little
danger to the sweat bees. In fact, they keep the grass short and allow the sun to warm the ground, which the bees need for nesting. Far below the surface, they are safe from the trampling hooves, but without grazing by livestock, many wild bees would not survive. (sheep baaing) (peaceful music) Tiny yellow worm-like creatures now emerge from the ground
and race upwards in a hurry. They are the larvae of
the black oil beetle, and they are on a mission to
hitch a ride on a passing bee. They head up to the highest
point, the flower heads, and lie in wait for their quarry. (whimsical music) With special hooked feet, the larvae latch onto the
bee, and they're airborne. (bee buzzing) (birds tweeting) With a bit of luck, they've even picked the right kind of bee. The female heads into
her underground tunnel. At the far end is what
the stowaways are after, and they disembark, a ball of pollen and nectar
topped with a single bee egg. But it's only enough for one larva. After devouring the lot,
it will turn into a pupa and emerge as an adult beetle
in the following spring. To protect against such deadly parasites, many bees seal off their nest
once the egg's been laid. The European orchard bee has
collected a parcel of mud to plug the entrance hole. Inside, the bee's larva munches away on the nutritious pollen paste. It will do so until the
entire store is consumed. Each cell is packed tight with food and contains just a single bee larva. Inside their chambers, the small grubs are safe from predators and continue to grow for around 60 days. (mystical music) While the growing larvae are snug and safe in their nurseries, the adult bees face a
more precarious future. (calm music)
(birds tweeting) (bee buzzing) A white crab spider sits almost
invisible on a white flower. (bee buzzing) It waits patiently. A large bumblebee may be
too much of a mouthful. (ominous music)
(birds tweeting) The smaller mining bee is more like it. (jarring music) (ominous music) (jarring music) She injects her victim with a venom and once immobilized sucks
out its inner juices. It's a murderous end in the
driveway of the bee hotel. Wild bees are resourceful
when finding accommodation. Small holes in fallen trees
are perfectly suitable. But it's not the bees themselves that excavate these cavities. They are made by larvae
of wood-boring insects. This longhorn beetle has spent
the last two years as a larva inside the oak tree,
feeding on its dead wood. Now it emerges as an adult and leaves behind a hole
nearly seven centimeters deep. (birds tweeting) (beetle buzzing) The vacant home is immediately spotted. The longhorn also wastes no time. It's already found a mate. The house viewings continue. Each prospective owner wants
to find the perfect fit. But not all bees favor wooden homes. Some prefer more unusual constructions and to find these requires
a little ingenuity. An empty snail shell. But first, it has to be
maneuvered into position. It's no easy task for a small
bee like the red-tailed mason, and there's no point in persisting when the fuel gauge is low. Best to first replenish
the energy reserves. (bee buzzing) She now flies to and fro depositing pollen into the belly of the nest. And then the hardest
part of the procedure, small stones many times
the bee's own weight have to be placed at the
entrance to keep out intruders. (bee buzzing) (bee buzzing) Finally, it's time to render the exterior. Small sticks and grasses are
carried back one at a time. (calm music) She covers the nest with
a thatch of dead grass to hide it from predators and
protect it from the elements. (whimsical music) It'll take three to four days and over a hundred trips
until she is satisfied and some remarkable aerobatic maneuvers. This oak tree's leaves are riddled with holes
like a Swiss cheese. They are made by a leaf cutter bee which cuts out little
discs and carries them off. (bee buzzing) She is heading for the bee hotel. (bees buzzing) Inside the wooden tunnel, she
lines her nest with leaves, then she glues them together with saliva to build individual nursery chambers. Each cell is separated from
the next by more leaves, and as usual, the larvae
have an ample supply of pollen by their side. Next spring, the newly emerged adults will chew their way out of the nest. There are other wild bees that line their nests with
carpets of vegetation. (bee buzzing) Some use petals of flowers
to wallpaper the interior. (bee buzzing) The larvae are unlikely to
appreciate the colorful decor, but it provides stability to the nest and may help to keep it moist and clean. Some bees are so specialized
they will only use the petals or pollen of certain plants. The yellow flowers of the golden flax are particularly sought
after by mason bees. (birds tweeting) The female selects a suitable petal and slices off a piece
with her sharp jaws. Then deftly gathering it up in a bunch, she carries it back to her nest. (bee buzzing) These red poppies also carry
the sign of a bee invasion, another flower and another kind of bee. (bee buzzing) No one knows why some like
yellow and others prefer red, but this specialization
has one big drawback. If a flower becomes rare or
disappears from our countryside, the bee is also at risk. (bee buzzing) Red poppies were once common
in our fields and meadows, but with modern farming techniques, they've all but disappeared, and for this mason bee,
that could spell trouble. Many of our wild bees depend
on agricultural farmland for food and nest sites, but changes in traditional practices have greatly reduced wild
flowers within this landscape, and many bees are struggling to survive. But one bee's fate has changed more dramatically than any other. (bees buzzing) The humble honeybee is
the most widespread bee in the world today, and it's
all down to our love of honey. The larger males, or drones,
appear in early summer. Their only job is to fertilize the queen. (bees buzzing) The drones live just a few short weeks. By the end of summer, they
are evicted from the colony. Weak with hunger and lacking a sting, they make easy prey for small hunters. (bee buzzing) (rooster crowing) Man-made structures
can also provide a home for wildlife, including bees. An old barn like this has many
hidden nooks and crannies, perfect for nesting solitary bees. (bee buzzing) (calm music) And a flowering horse-chestnut tree provides ample pollen and nectar. The flowers signal like a traffic light, yellow to announce sweet nectar while pink or red suggests don't bother, we're already pollinated. It's an ingenious system that
benefits both tree and bee. (bee buzzing) (sheep baaing) An old farmhouse with plenty of flowers is the perfect habitat for wild bees. (bee buzzing) The purple blooms of the catmint
are a particular favorite and not just with bees. The catmint, or catnip,
is native to Europe and so named because
of its appeal to cats. (birds tweeting) (bee buzzing) The flower of the Oriental poppy has a generous supply
of nutrient-rich pollen, but it's locked away in the anthers. The bumblebee has a trick up her sleeve. She grasps the anthers
with her legs and buzzes, vibrating her flight muscles. This shakes the pollen out onto her belly. Later, she will comb the
grains into special baskets on her hind legs and transport
them back to her nest. (bee buzzing) Most bees feed mainly on nectar
and very little on pollen, but bumblebees are an exception. (bee buzzing) An old wooden fence
has not gone unnoticed. A wool carder bee has moved in. (bee buzzing) And just behind the farm, a meadow filled with purple flowers of the hedge nettle, a
favorite with the bees. (bees buzzing) The thick, sharp spines
on the male's rear end are an indication of his fierce nature. His aggression is not directed
at humans, but at rivals. (bee buzzing) A hummingbird hawk-moth is
also attracted to the flowers, but it may be one size too big for the wool carder to handle, so the hawk-moth feeds undisturbed. (bee buzzing) (whimsical music) Not so when this honeybee
tries to do the same. (bee buzzing) (birds tweeting) The wool carder is one
of the largest wild bees, and the males are fiercely territorial. (whimsical music) But now a female has
attracted his attention and mistakes his amorous
advance for an attack. But this is an intruder. A quick stop to refuel and he's off again to defend what's his. (suspenseful music) (jarring music) He launches a direct strike at his rivals, trying to dislodge them. (suspenseful music) (eerie music) His hard work seems to have paid off. He's earned his reward from this female. (bee buzzing) Some bees go to even greater lengths for their favorite plants. (bee buzzing) The hairy-legged mining bee
feeds exclusively on one plant, the common chicory, but
its blue flowers only bloom in the mornings, so the bee has to hurry. (bee buzzing) She has just four hours to collect all the pollen and nectar she needs. (bee buzzing) To do so, she is equipped with extra-large hair
brushes on her hind legs. With these, she can collect greater quantities of pollen at a time. (bee buzzing) A prospective suitor makes an advance (bees buzzing) but has little success. She's not interested and has
other things on her mind. (bee buzzing) At midday, she returns heavily laden to the nest one last time. With food supplies shut down now, she'll have the rest of the afternoon off and can take care of
the interior decoration. As the evening draws in,
the female bees settle down in their underground nests for the night. (peaceful music) Only the males remain outside. (birds tweeting) (bee buzzing) Like all insects, they're
cold blooded and become torpid when the temperature drops. Some latch onto grass
stems with their jaws and remain suspended like this
for the rest of the night. Others huddle together for warmth. (calm music) (insects chirping) (magical music) (birds tweeting) (bird chirping) It's dawn, but the air is still cold. The bees remain motionless
on their stalks. (bird chirping) (peaceful music) The early morning sun burns off the last of the lingering fog. Unlike honeybees, which stay
warm within their hives, wild bees are children of the sun. They need its warmth to breathe life back into their little bodies. After a little stretch and morning toilet, they're off to fuel up on their first sugary drink of the day. (bees buzzing) The long-horned bees head
straight for the tall spikes of the tufted vetch. It's a member of the pea family, and its cascade of violet flowers offer an abundant supply of nectar. (birds tweeting) (bee buzzing) Other plants nearby also vie for the attention of pollinators. A bee orchid unfurls its enticing bloom. (wondrous music) (bee buzzing) It seems irresistible, but the bee has detected the deception. A wasp also quickly
abandons the rogue flower. Bee orchids are mimics whose flowers closely resemble the furry bodies of bees. This one also produces a sex pheromone similar to that of a
female long-horned bee, and the trickery seems to work. (suspenseful music) (bee buzzing) A male long-horn has been bamboozled to mate with the deceitful flower. (whimsical music) As he nuzzles up to her, his head pushes against the anthers and picks up the packets of pollen that stick to him like yellow horns. He has been duped without
any reward at all. (birds chirping) By late summer, most bees
have finished breeding and many have fallen prey to
hunters like the bee-eaters. (bees buzzing) But some plants flower late in the season, and they also need to be pollinated, so there are bees which emerge and start their breeding
cycle later than most. An exposed bank of soil is
ideal for ground-nesting bees, and Southern Europe's vineyards are dry and warm even in late summer. (bird calling) (bee buzzing) The ivy plant is a late bloomer and only comes into flower in September. But there is a bee that has timed its entire life cycle around this event. The ivy bee is completely dependent on the nectar and pollen of the ivy. It's a time of year when there
is little other food around, and the unassuming flowers
are very rich in nectar. (bee buzzing) The relationship between ivy and bee has evolved over millions of years. Neither can survive without the other. But even now, there are enemies around. The beewolf is a digger wasp that specializes in killing bees. (bee buzzing) But the hunter has enemies
of its own to contend with. A cuckoo wasp is on the
lookout for an unattended nest. (wasp buzzing) The brazen intruder is quickly seen off. (bee buzzing) The beewolf returns with a kill. She's immobilized her victim
with a venomous sting. Once underground, she will
embalm the paralyzed bee with an antifungal secretion
so it stays fresh longer. One bee will be enough
food for a wasp larva until it emerges as an adult. Wild bees need very little to survive, some bare ground, a few flowering plants, and a little bit of sunshine. (peaceful music) A colony of honeybees has
abandoned their man-made hive and made a new home in a fallen tree. The bees did well over the summer, but how will they fare now
that the winter has set in? (calm music) (bird squawking) The colony has fallen silent. The bees have turned into icy sculptures. Prehistoric bee sculptures
solidified in amber are evidence that their
kind has pollinated flowers since the age of the dinosaurs. And unlike the domesticated honeybee, our wild bees have evolved to survive the cold winters without our help. Nonetheless, honeybees play a crucial role in our lives today. Not only do they pollinate
many of our crops and garden plants, they
also produce something we've come to cherish, the fruit of their labor, golden honey. Our relationship with the
honeybee is an ancient one dating back some 10,000 years, but it's also our most important one on which our very survival may depend. (inspiring music)
