Hive Life part 1
So I've talked a lot about my bees but I think its time to explain it all in a little more detail so ou can understand just how amazingly clever these little things are. In this series on posts i hope to explain the bees in the hive and how the parts of the hive.
There are 3 types of occupants in the hive- the workers, the drones and the queen. The workers are female and make up the majority of the bees in the hive. They are most likely to be the ones you see out and about going from flower to flower collecting nectar and pollen. They sting in defense and have a barbed sting meaning that when she tries to withdraw her sting she dies. These girls literally work themselves to death, dedicating their life to the hive. When they emerge from their cells they begin working, their first duties are cleaning the cells ready for the queen to lay more eggs, then they become nurse bees- feeding larvae a jelly like substance (not royal jelly though that's just for making new queens), their next job fascinates me- wax making, they just make wax from their bodies and I'm sure I will write a post on this another time! They then do various other jobs in the hive and there is a never ending list, sealing honey, packing pollen, building honeycomb, mortuary duties taking the dead bees out of the hive, collecting water and being guard bees-defending the hive from any invaders. Their final job is foraging, going out and collecting the pollen and nectar which will make the honey. And that's it -their 40 odd days on the earth dedicated to the hive and their colony.
Next we have the drones, the boys. Realistically these guys have one job and one job only- to mate with virgin queens. They don't make wax, help out in the hive, collect pollen or nectar. They are bigger than the workers and seem quite large in comparison. They live about 90 days, drifting from one hive to another, the sex they have with the virgin queen on her mating flight is so explosive they loose their penis and die shortly after. Those that don't get this 'opportunity' will be kicked out of the hive in late autumn by the workers and are left outside to die. They also have no ability to sting. There's currently some drones about in the hive so I'll try and get a photo of one later this week.
Last but not least the queen, there can only be one queen in colony (if there are 2 or another is produced this is when bees swarm). Her body is longer than the other bees and her head smaller, she's quite slender really. Her job is to lay eggs, all day, every day of the spring and summer months. In the build up in spring she can lay up to 1500 eggs a day. She has attendants who groom her, feed her and take away her waste. The queen secretes pheromones which control swarming. after her mating flight (unless she swarms) the queen never leaves the hive. The queen can live up to 7 years, she has a stinger which is less barbed than a worker meaning she can withdraw her sting without dying and sting again. A lot of people think the queen is in charge, realistically she's a slave to the other bees and they do everything for her in order to keep their queen reproducing healthy bees.
There are 3 types of occupants in the hive- the workers, the drones and the queen. The workers are female and make up the majority of the bees in the hive. They are most likely to be the ones you see out and about going from flower to flower collecting nectar and pollen. They sting in defense and have a barbed sting meaning that when she tries to withdraw her sting she dies. These girls literally work themselves to death, dedicating their life to the hive. When they emerge from their cells they begin working, their first duties are cleaning the cells ready for the queen to lay more eggs, then they become nurse bees- feeding larvae a jelly like substance (not royal jelly though that's just for making new queens), their next job fascinates me- wax making, they just make wax from their bodies and I'm sure I will write a post on this another time! They then do various other jobs in the hive and there is a never ending list, sealing honey, packing pollen, building honeycomb, mortuary duties taking the dead bees out of the hive, collecting water and being guard bees-defending the hive from any invaders. Their final job is foraging, going out and collecting the pollen and nectar which will make the honey. And that's it -their 40 odd days on the earth dedicated to the hive and their colony.
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| worker bees |
Next we have the drones, the boys. Realistically these guys have one job and one job only- to mate with virgin queens. They don't make wax, help out in the hive, collect pollen or nectar. They are bigger than the workers and seem quite large in comparison. They live about 90 days, drifting from one hive to another, the sex they have with the virgin queen on her mating flight is so explosive they loose their penis and die shortly after. Those that don't get this 'opportunity' will be kicked out of the hive in late autumn by the workers and are left outside to die. They also have no ability to sting. There's currently some drones about in the hive so I'll try and get a photo of one later this week.
Last but not least the queen, there can only be one queen in colony (if there are 2 or another is produced this is when bees swarm). Her body is longer than the other bees and her head smaller, she's quite slender really. Her job is to lay eggs, all day, every day of the spring and summer months. In the build up in spring she can lay up to 1500 eggs a day. She has attendants who groom her, feed her and take away her waste. The queen secretes pheromones which control swarming. after her mating flight (unless she swarms) the queen never leaves the hive. The queen can live up to 7 years, she has a stinger which is less barbed than a worker meaning she can withdraw her sting without dying and sting again. A lot of people think the queen is in charge, realistically she's a slave to the other bees and they do everything for her in order to keep their queen reproducing healthy bees.
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