Bee

You may wish to consult Bee (disambiguation) for other, similarly-named pages.

Bees were "insects [...] with stings on their tails" according to the Fourth Doctor, and a non-sentient species found on Earth. They were domesticated by humans for the production of honey, and even an average human like Donna Noble knew that they were experiencing a profound global downturn in their population during the early 21st century. (TV: Delta and the Bannermen ^[+]Malcolm Kohll, Doctor Who season 24 (BBC1, 1987)., Partners in Crime ^[+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who series 4 (BBC One, 2008)., Planet of the Ood ^[+]Keith Temple, Doctor Who series 4 (BBC One, 2008).)

Bees and bee-like creatures existed outside of Earth, as well. Migrant Bees, from Melissa Majoria, were generally assumed to be Earth bees when they resided on that planet, where they comprised a large percentage of the bee population. (TV: The Stolen Earth ^[+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who series 4 (BBC One, 2008)., AUDIO: The Rockery ^[+]Error: Code 2 - no data stored in variables, cache or SMW.) Space bees made the pollen which was turned into an alcoholic beverage that Chris Cwej's father enjoyed. (PROSE: Original Sin ^[+]Andy Lane, Virgin New Adventures (Virgin Books, 1995).)

According to the Seventh Doctor, Aristotle wouldn't stop "wittering on about" bees. While stuck at a tea party with Thomas Jefferson, he wouldn't stop talking about bees, either. The Doctor regretted not listening to either. He claimed to have known many beekeepers. (AUDIO: Survival of the Fittest ^[+]Jonathan Clements, Main Range (Big Finish Productions, 2010).)

The Doctor claimed that it was impossible, according to classical aerodynamics, for bees to fly. (TV: The Dæmons ^[+]Guy Leopold, Doctor Who season 8 (BBC1, 1971)., PROSE: Timewyrm: Genesys ^[+]John Peel, Virgin New Adventures (Virgin Books, 1991).)

Life cycle: hives and honey

Many bees lived in colonies, collecting pollen to be created into honey. Bees were domesticated by human beekeepers for their honey. They were a hive society with a fertile queen, male drones, and infertile female workers. Bees could make a new Queen to make new eggs. (TV: Delta and the Bannermen ^[+]Malcolm Kohll, Doctor Who season 24 (BBC1, 1987)., AUDIO: Survival of the Fittest ^[+]Jonathan Clements, Main Range (Big Finish Productions, 2010).) According to the Eighth Doctor, worker bees gave female bees special jelly, what Goronwy called royal jelly, when they needed new Queens to form a hive. (AUDIO: The Creed of the Kromon ^[+]Philip Martin, Main Range (Big Finish Productions, 2004)., TV: Delta and the Bannermen ^[+]Malcolm Kohll, Doctor Who season 24 (BBC1, 1987).)

In 1959, Goronwy kept bees. He gave the Seventh Doctor a jar of his rare 1928 hibiscus blossom. The Bannermen invaded his honey store and were covered in the substance; this caused the bees to attack them. (TV: Delta and the Bannermen ^[+]Malcolm Kohll, Doctor Who season 24 (BBC1, 1987).)

According to the Seventh Doctor, the Vrill had a similar lifecycle to bees. The Vrill Authority had a role quite similar to that of the Queen bee. (AUDIO: Survival of the Fittest ^[+]Jonathan Clements, Main Range (Big Finish Productions, 2010).)

For some time, Earth's bees lived alongside — and humans never knew that they were different from — visiting, sapient Migrant Bees of the planet Melissa Majoria. (TV: The Stolen Earth ^[+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who series 4 (BBC One, 2008).) Torchwood One was aware of the Migrant Bee population, and specifically programmed eco-retcon not to affect the bees while "removing" extra-terrestrial life in such a place as a garden. (AUDIO: The Rockery ^[+]Error: Code 2 - no data stored in variables, cache or SMW.)

Eventually, the Earth's native bee population dwindled to near-extinction levels. However, bees were being reintroduced to the United Kingdom in June 2027, and, according to Ace, the bee problem would be solved by 2040. (AUDIO: A Death in the Family ^[+]Steven Hall, Main Range (Big Finish Productions, 2010).)

The First Doctor, Barbara Wright and Susan Foreman were startled by a bee that almost fell on them after it was killed by ingesting the illegal insecticide, DN6. Because they were miniaturised at the time, the bee's mass posed a grave risk of injury to them. (TV: Planet of Giants ^[+]Louis Marks, Doctor Who season 2 (BBC1, 1964).)

The Fourth Doctor professed to be rather fond of bees. (TV: The Robots of Death ^[+]Chris Boucher, Doctor Who season 14 (BBC1, 1977).) Romana I compared K9's greeting to the computer, Mentalis, to the identification dance used by bees. When asked what bees were, the Doctor replied, "Insects! With stings in their tails". (TV: The Armageddon Factor ^[+]Bob Baker and Dave Martin, Doctor Who season 16 (BBC1, 1979).)

Donna Noble repeatedly mentioned the disappearance of the bees to the Tenth Doctor who eventually realised that they were Migrant Bees returning home. He was able to use their Tandocca Scale to help track the missing Earth. (TV: The Stolen Earth ^[+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who series 4 (BBC One, 2008).)

At some point prior to the summer of 1915, Sherlock Holmes retired to the Sussex countryside to study the lifecycle of bees. He wrote several books on them. He claimed that their social structures were "defined and organised with admirable logic", and believed that humans had much to learn from them. (PROSE: The Spirit Box ^[+]George Mann, Sherlock Holmes (Titan Publishing Group, 2014). Chapter 1; Page 16.)