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Watch Secrets of the Bees Season 1 Episode 2 online in HD on Dailymotion (2026).
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00:03Previously, on Secrets of the Bees.
00:09After months of tireless work, the honeybee family split in two.
00:20Half the sisters left, leaving those that remained in a depleted hive without a queen.
00:30While the breakaways found themselves in the eye of the storm.
00:37It is pouring. Poor bees, they're just getting soaked.
00:59Now, I'm back to see if the swarm survived the night.
01:07Well, there's lots of bees flying.
01:10Here we go.
01:15How are you doing, bee swarm?
01:20They actually look okay.
01:24Well, that is a relief.
01:26I was worried they got dangerously cold in the rain.
01:31Right, I'm going to grab my camera.
01:36Out in the open, the bees are still vulnerable.
01:40They desperately need a roof over their heads.
01:44The plan now is that most of the bees are going to stay put and conserve their energy.
01:49But some of them are going to leave.
01:56Here she goes.
01:58Woohoo!
01:59These are the scouts, the most experienced workers.
02:07Their job is to go house hunting.
02:12Each scout can only search as far as the queen can travel.
02:16About two miles.
02:21And any hole is worth investigating.
02:25She's looking for somewhere roomy enough for the colony to grow.
02:30Check.
02:32An entrance narrow enough to defend.
02:37Check.
02:40But this is just too open.
02:50A tree hole could tick all the boxes.
02:58A safe height from the ground.
03:00And space for her 30,000 sisters.
03:11Perfect.
03:15Now, to convince the swarm.
03:22That is a waggle.
03:25Well this is the infamous honey bee waggle dance.
03:31Now this might look like a bunch of random butt shakes.
03:34But this is an important message.
03:36This is how the scouts tell the rest of the colony
03:40about the location and the quality of a new house they found.
03:44And it's the most advanced communication system of any insect.
03:52Now I wonder what they're saying.
03:54Everyone listen.
03:55You won't believe the place I've just found.
03:58It's got a sweet view.
03:59It's not far from here.
04:00And it's got so much room for honey.
04:04The longer the dance, the further the sisters know to travel.
04:09And her enthusiasm tells the others just how great the place is.
04:19The other scouts check the hole out.
04:25To be sure it's as good as she says.
04:31And if they like it, they'll waggle too.
04:39It's one be one vote.
04:44Democracy in action.
04:48Once a majority of the scouts agree, it's a done deal.
05:06All 30,000 bees take to the end.
05:21The swarm finally has a new home.
05:28A place for this half of the sisterhood to grow and thrive.
05:37Swarming is a dangerous gamble, but it's one honeybees must take if they're to spread to new areas.
05:46It's also the only time they move any real distance.
05:56Unless we force them.
06:06Every year, 30 billion honeybees are trapped from all over the U.S. to the Central Valley of California.
06:17It's one of the largest movements of animals on the planet.
06:22And known as migratory beekeeping.
06:37Let's start cleaning up this bed, get the snow off.
06:42Ryan Llewellyn is a fifth generation beekeeper.
06:47I've been exposed to them with my dad and grandpa since I was three or four.
06:54So pretty much my whole life.
07:00Each winter, while the bees are saving their energy, Ryan transports thousands of his hives from their home in Oregon
07:08to California.
07:10Not for honey making, but to pollinate almond trees.
07:14Here comes the net.
07:19It's an 800 mile journey.
07:23An unimaginable distance for an animal that would normally never travel more than six miles from its home.
07:36Midway through the trip, as the truck descends from the Rockies into California, the temperature suddenly climbs 20 degrees.
07:47The bees start to awaken.
07:50The bees start to awaken.
07:50You can smell them.
07:54The whole truck will buzz.
07:57This is the most dangerous part of the bees journey.
08:02Anytime we stop, they'll start to fly and come out the entrances.
08:13They'll get stuck in the nets and die.
08:19After two long days of travel, the bees reach their destination.
08:26They join millions of others, a concentration of hives found nowhere else.
08:33But have Ryan's bees survived the journey?
08:39No, this is not a good one.
08:42Yeah, all these bees that I'm finding on the bottom boards, they got frozen on the drive down.
08:49Migratory beekeeping is, it's hard.
08:53You do your best to keep them healthy and alive, but sometimes, you know, you just can't.
09:02With no source of nectar here to feed his bees, Ryan provides a substitute.
09:09Food that simulates spring, cueing them to grow their colony as fast as possible.
09:16Good night, girls.
09:23After two weeks, the hives are spread across the orchards.
09:30In pole position for the bloom.
09:42Over a hundred million almond trees flower at the same time.
09:50And the bees will need to visit every one of them in just a week.
10:00It's time for Ryan's bees to get to work.
10:07Each visits up to 5,000 flowers a day.
10:17And while they're collecting food, pollen grains are transferred from one flower to another.
10:24Seeding the plants.
10:28It's the largest pollination event on earth.
10:36But the flowers only last six days.
10:41The petals start to fall.
10:45And there's no more bloom for the bees.
10:49Over three quarters of the world's almonds come from California.
10:55A $20 billion business.
10:59Totally dependent on honey bees.
11:06This year, the event has taken its toll on Ryan's bees.
11:12I'm very concerned with the future.
11:15What are my actions today gonna amount to tomorrow?
11:21Ryan is convinced that there's a better way ahead.
11:35Two weeks ago, the swarm left the hive with half its workforce and no queen.
11:46But before leaving, the old queen laid an egg in each of four special cells.
11:55Since then, they've been carefully tended by the sisters.
12:01Each contains a queen in waiting.
12:15The first to emerge has the advantage.
12:22It's the moment the sisters have been waiting for.
12:29This could be their new queen.
12:38Lida and egglayer in one.
12:45She lets everyone in the hive know she's ready to rule.
12:52Communicating in a way no other bee can.
12:57She toots.
13:02The sound travels through the walls of the honeycomb.
13:07At each toot, the colony freezes.
13:12In recognition of their new queen.
13:28The spare queens, still in their cells, answer back with a quack.
13:37A reminder to the already emerged queen that she has rivals.
13:44To keep her crown, she must leave the hive and mate.
13:51If she fails, the spare queens will get their chance.
14:01Until then, the sisters keep them calm with food and gentle vibrations.
14:16If the emerged queen succeeds, she will kill the imprisoned rivals.
14:30At this time of year, the queens are not the only newbies on the block.
14:44This one is big.
14:49A big boy, to be precise.
14:54Males are born in the warmer months.
15:00Known as a drone, he has one important job.
15:07That's if he can squeeze out of his cell.
15:18Luckily, his sisters are there to lend a hand.
15:31Males like him do nothing to contribute to the family.
15:37He can't collect nectar.
15:40He can't even feed himself.
15:48All he does is get in everyone's way.
15:54His only purpose in life?
15:58To mate with queens from other hives and spread his family's genes.
16:08It's the reason for his large eyes.
16:11It's the reason for his large eyes.
16:11Twice the size of his sisters.
16:15They give him a complete view of the skies.
16:20Perfect for spotting queens in flight.
16:25Just not his sister.
16:28She must go find her own drones from another hive.
16:39She'll mate with up to 20 of them.
16:43A trait unique to honeybee queens.
16:49Most bees have a single partner.
16:54And for some, finding that mate is a dangerous task.
17:04This is one of Australia's driest deserts.
17:13But for just a few weeks a year, carpets of nectar-rich flowers bloom.
17:20And when they pop up,
17:23so do one of the largest bees on the planet.
17:42A female Dawson's bee.
17:50She spent a year alone underground,
17:53waiting for this very moment to find a mate.
18:07Her radiating scent has lured in dozens of contenders.
18:18But she only needs one.
18:34It's smart to stay in her hole.
18:37Out of reach.
18:43Let the males take their frustration out on each other.
18:55Another female tries her luck.
19:02And gets more than she bargained for.
19:15Since female Dawson bees only mate once,
19:19competition is fierce.
19:26In the pileup, this female could be injured.
19:31Or worse.
19:41Her scent is so powerful,
19:44that even after death,
19:46it still attracts attention.
20:00Most females have now emerged.
20:04And there are fewer active males.
20:10The cautious female checks out the scene.
20:20Just one male.
20:23The perfect time to make a move.
20:32But it's a mistake.
20:34But it's a mistake.
20:38Males are relentless.
20:50But she has found the one.
20:54And he holds on for dear life.
21:01They must reach cover as fast as her little legs can carry them.
21:18Finally, some peace.
21:25As her scent changes.
21:28The wet look.
21:30The males lose all interest.
21:35Her timing has been perfect.
21:42The brief burst of flowers provides her and her young with everything they'll need.
21:59Back at the hive, the queen has successfully mated and makes her triumphant return.
22:14With her on egg-laying duty, the population booms.
22:23And the workers ramp up productivity.
22:36Nectar collection is in full swing.
22:43They need to make and store 40 pounds of honey to survive the winter.
22:50And they still have a way to go.
22:54With fall approaching and nectar drying up, every drop of stored honey is precious.
23:02Not to be wasted on freeloaders.
23:11With mating season over, the males have outstayed their welcome.
23:22So their sisters turn on them.
23:47And the hive becomes a female-only zone once more.
23:59With just a few weeks left until winter, it's a critical time.
24:05But it's now that many honeybees all over the world fall victim to something beyond their control.
24:20If you are going to understand...
24:23For entomologist Dr. Sammy Ramsey, stopping this threat is his life's work.
24:28When I'm thinking about this, I want you to consider for a moment that you are a host to a
24:33parasite that is about the size of your hand.
24:36This body size ratio is wild.
24:39Honestly, it would be...
24:40It would be like...
24:41It would be like a human having these...
24:44These are Varroa mites.
24:46These are the parasites that honeybees have on their bodies that are actually liquefying their livers and sucking it out
24:53of them.
24:54The Varroa mites are destructive on a scale that is hard to fathom at times.
25:00They are the most threatening, widely distributed parasite of bees on this planet.
25:08Sammy and his student Justin need to check on infested hives and assess the effects the mites have on the
25:15bees.
25:20Definitely deformed wing virus in this one.
25:23Yeah, poor girl.
25:24Her wings are just so short.
25:29They have so many cells that are opened on this frame.
25:33That is not a good sign.
25:35When Varroa infiltrate colonies and attach themselves to bees, they wreak havoc on the bees' immune system.
25:43Viruses are able to grow out of control and cause these really problematic symptoms in the bees.
25:50To study the enemy, Sammy has a way to collect mites from a honeybee hive.
25:56There you go. There you go.
25:59About to donate your mites to science.
26:04Varroa mites don't stay attached to bees if their feet get covered with powdered sugar.
26:13Those are some dusty bees. So now we just roll it.
26:17And then we shake.
26:19That sugar will get into all the crevices and then they'll slide right off the bees.
26:24Sorry ladies. This is for your own good. You don't want these mites, I promise.
26:31Check it out. This colony is mighty for sure.
26:35Whew.
26:37This is my favorite part though.
26:39I get to actually put them back home.
26:46All right ladies, you are going to be really popular.
26:52Who doesn't love a sweet bee?
26:59Returning to his lab, Sammy wants to test the mites on a special group of bees.
27:07They could hold the solution to dealing with infestations.
27:13Ready?
27:14We can introduce those mites into our observation hive and we can watch how the bees actually handles a huge
27:24influx of mites all at once.
27:25All right, close it, close it, close it in there.
27:27There you go.
27:27Good.
27:31These mites right there on the glass.
27:33They're waiting for a bee to pass by that they can just latch onto.
27:44There you go.
27:48These mites are masters of disguise.
27:52They have learned all the different ways of masking their smell, even the feel of their bodies.
28:01They mimic the plates and hairs of the bee's body.
28:06Such that when a bee is touching itself, the parasite feels like its own body.
28:14But this colony has a unique superpower.
28:19The bees in our observation hive are the specific genetic stock that's able to resist certain elements of the varroa
28:29mites takeover of the colony.
28:31Compared to typical honey bees, these bees groom their bodies much more frequently.
28:39They can tell that something is wrong and they need to do something about it.
28:44Well done, you.
28:46Dev.
28:52Sammy and his team hope that if this grooming trait can be genetically reproduced in other honey bees,
29:00Varroa mites won't get the chance to spread their deadly viruses.
29:12Despite this threat, the global honey bee population is still in the trillions.
29:20And our passion for beekeeping has caused some unexpected problems for wild bees.
29:29This little garden in the heart of the city was especially designed for bees of all kinds.
29:39This whole patch is just full of honey bees.
29:41One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven.
29:46You can see one big bumble bee back in there.
29:49But this whole patch is just loaded with honey bees.
29:54And it's easy to think, great, loads of bees.
29:57But actually it's more complicated than that.
30:01These honey bees aren't wild.
30:03They're domesticated, more like livestock.
30:06And I'm sure their hive isn't far from here.
30:09Just in London, there's an estimated 400 million honey bees.
30:15Whoa!
30:1740 times more than the human population.
30:22Because of the incredible way that honey bees communicate and work as a team,
30:27they're often the first to find these fresh patches of flowers.
30:31So they just out-compete the wild bees.
30:38But there is one wild bee here, trying to stand up to them.
30:43In the corner of this patch of flowers, I have found a magical little kingdom.
30:52And the king of this kingdom, here he comes, is this guy.
30:59He's a male wool carder bee.
31:04Unlike the other bees on this patch, this male carder bee is here to defend his territory.
31:12A lambs ear plant.
31:15Hoping a female turns up.
31:18Anyone that comes into his little patch gets a beating.
31:23Oh, honey bee.
31:25Here he comes.
31:35Hoppa!
31:36Get out of here.
31:40Oh, honey bee.
31:43Here he goes.
31:45Hoppa!
31:48It's incredible how much action and drama there is, just in this little patch.
31:56He's just so feisty.
32:01Oh, bumblebee invader, he's not going to like that.
32:09Chaos!
32:15Now that the coast is clear, the one bee he's been waiting for can finally make an appearance.
32:24Oh, here comes a female.
32:31He's going to take off in a second and go for that female.
32:34Oh!
32:37A little bit of mating.
32:40Right now, this wool carder bee should be focusing on females.
32:48Instead, he's constantly chasing honey bees, feeding in his territory.
32:56He must be just completely exhausted.
33:02It used to be thought that to save the bees, you know, put in lots of hives.
33:06But the reality is that what you're doing by introducing these new honey bee hives is, it's just introducing more
33:12competition.
33:15What's important is giving wild species like the carder bee enough space and food to thrive.
33:24Up to a quarter of all wild bee species are in decline.
33:33But there's one wild bee who, with a helping hand, is making a surprising comeback.
33:50A melipona bee on lookout duty.
33:57Her job is to guard the nest entrance from insect invaders.
34:05And she's got every angle covered.
34:15Unlike honey bees, she's stingless.
34:19But who needs a sting when you've got jaws like these?
34:25For the next two weeks, she'll stay right here, all day, protecting the colony so her sisters can focus on
34:35foraging.
34:39Meliponas feed from over 60 plant species in the Mexican jungle.
34:47Without these vital pollinators, this unique ecosystem could disappear.
34:57At the nest, our sentinel is still on high alert.
35:02Not just for approaching enemies.
35:06But so she knows when to duck for her returning sisters.
35:14A dangerous job.
35:15But someone's got to do it.
35:21Because inside is a real treasure.
35:29Future generations of meliponas in their cells.
35:34Future generations of meliponas.
35:34Future generations of meliponas.
35:40These bees used to be found all across Central America.
35:46But their range is now much smaller.
35:50Habitat loss and pesticides mean their numbers have dropped dramatically.
35:58Humans haven't been good to them.
36:05But that's changing.
36:11Hello, Miss Apejitas.
36:14Miss Bebes.
36:16How are you?
36:19Doña Antonia Coya and her Mayan community have rekindled the ancient art of melipona beekeeping.
36:35They could bite her, but don't.
36:41Antonia is one of the team.
36:43The character of meliponas is to treat them with love.
36:51And they give love too.
36:55They don't want to go down.
36:59They don't want to go down.
37:06Antonia provides the bees with a clean home.
37:10Sheltered from the sun.
37:12And bordered by water so other insects can't scuttle in.
37:20It doesn't mean our guard takes her job any less seriously.
37:27But the added protection gives the sisters more time and space to produce some of the most valuable honey in
37:35the world.
37:36Prized for its medicinal qualities.
37:41Unlike honeybees, who process their honey by fanning it, meliponas blow nectar into bubbles to evaporate the water.
37:54Then stash it in giant pots.
38:05The melipona beekeeping knowledge is passed through the generations.
38:11And any new helper needs to be introduced to the bees.
38:23Antonia harvests just 30 ounces from each colony per year.
38:30Far less than a typical honey bee hive would produce.
38:35By keeping meliponas, she's not only making herself a useful income, but also helping a wild species.
38:43And the forest that depends on them.
38:55But the global demand for honey ultimately depends on large-scale beekeepers, like Ryan.
39:05His bees are now back in Oregon after the almond pollination to spend the rest of the year making honey.
39:13But they've had a rough time.
39:15For us this year was the worst.
39:19The percentage of our bees that died was over 50%.
39:27I'm fifth generation beekeeper, and I'm telling you this is not sustainable.
39:33So Ryan has an ambitious plan.
39:38With the help of his family, he's attempting to do what few have done before.
39:44We have 450 acres that we're going to convert to pollinator habitat.
39:52It's going to be one of the largest in the entire continental U.S.
39:56Ryan is growing a massive wildflower meadow that will provide for his honey bees
40:02and produce large quantities of top-quality honey.
40:07This one's the sand point, and the alfalf is a little tiny one.
40:11They look like tiny rocks.
40:13Yeah, aren't they pretty, like little Easter eggs?
40:19Ryan is blending a mix of wildflowers,
40:21which will ensure there's always something in bloom between spring and fall.
40:27Okay, ready for a drive?
40:29Yeah!
40:47Now all Ryan has to do is wait for nature to take its course.
41:02Look at the colour! Have you ever seen one that colour before?
41:07That's amazing, Ryan.
41:10Let's try some bugs.
41:11Let's go find a bug right here.
41:14Walking with the kids through the flowered meadows to show them all the pollinators,
41:19not just the honey bees, but all these different style pollinators.
41:22Leaf-cutter bees, solitary bees, they get interested in what they're seeing.
41:29Quite the little ecosystem on this bush, huh?
41:33What is that? Whoa!
41:35It's a honey bee.
41:36It's a honey bee. It's two honey bees.
41:38They're sleeping in there.
41:40Oh!
41:42Because they got cold during the rainstorm.
41:44Oh, my God.
41:46No, no, they're sleeping. It's like when they get cold.
41:48They don't even know they're learning, but they're gaining such an insight
41:52to this system of seeds to flowers to pollinators.
42:00Can you taste it with the tip of your tongue?
42:02Hey! It's good, right? Are you a bee now?
42:06Are you gonna go pollinate some things?
42:08Ryan hopes to give up the annual almond pollination journey
42:12and instead develop sustainable beekeeping here at home in Oregon.
42:19Creating the pollinator habitat.
42:22It's something that I can do to give back.
42:30We can all play a role.
42:33We can plant more flowers or we can stop destroying them.
42:38Either way, it's a positive impact.
42:41All right.
42:44All right.
42:45All right.
42:52All right.
42:53All right.
42:53All right.
42:53With winter just around the corner,
42:55the time has come to see if the hive is ready.
43:00Let's take a look.
43:07Wow.
43:09So much honey.
43:12You have been busy bees.
43:15You can see each one of these cells is just packed full of honey.
43:20And on top is that thin little membrane cap.
43:24And that's like the bees putting a lid on their jars of honey.
43:29Against the odds, the hive has triumphed.
43:33They've made enough honey to survive the winter.
43:41Good job bees.
43:43You've done it.
43:54The honey bee will always be our loyal friend.
43:59But we've got a lot more to thank them for than just honey.
44:02They are a key pollinator of our crops.
44:07It's worth remembering there are over 20,000 other species.
44:12And together they're responsible for a third of the food we eat.
44:19But many are in steep decline.
44:22And some on the very edge of extinction.
44:27We are now changing the world faster than ever before.
44:31And they just can't keep up.
44:33So it's not just a shame that we're losing the bees.
44:36We need the bees.
44:56The bees are gaining elbows.
44:56And every time they have eaten,
44:56And we've got pueden times.
44:57We're with the bees.
44:57Then we're following along.
45:02We'll be right back to the bees.
45:02And we'll be right back.
45:11So, maybe the bees were popping the bees.
45:15You
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