Bees
Bees are insects that are related to wasps and ants, as they all belong to the same insect order, Hymenoptera. Bees are known for their role as pollinators in the environment, and in the case honey bees, for making beeswax and honey. Despite being beneficial insects, sometimes they can be a nuisance when they settle in and around houses. If an apiarist is available, killing the bee hive can be avoided, but such as situation should be death with as soon as possible.
Honey Bee Life cycle
Honey bees are social and live in an organized society. They undergo a complete life cycle or four life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The queen bee lays about 1,500 eggs per day for two to five years. The queen has the ability to fertilize or not fertilize an egg. An unfertilized egg becomes a male or drone, while a fertilized egg becomes a female which can either become a worker bee or a queen, depending on what it is fed by the workers. Worker bees have glands in their head that can produce food or “jelly”. If a female larva is fed “worker jelly”, then it would become a worker bee, but if the same larva is fed “queen jelly” or “royal jelly”, which is rich in sugar, it will turn into a queen bee. The worker bees are the ones that decide to make new queens when their hive has too many workers and they need to swarm to a new hive with the old queen. They randomly choose up to twenty fertilized eggs and feed them royal jelly once they hatch into larvae.
It takes about 21 days to complete a whole honey bee life cycle.
Honey Bee Roles in the Colony
Queen. The queen is the largest bee in the colony, and it is the only female bee with functioning ovaries and can lay eggs. The queen also releases pheromones to regulate the colony.
Drone. The drone is the male honey bee and they make up 10–15% of the colony. Their main role is to mate with the queen. During a mating flight, drones compete with one another. Once a drone mates with the queen, it dies shortly after.
Workers. The workers tend to the colony and play various roles in the hive depending on their age. Young workers process nectar, nurse larvae, feed larvae and the queen, and make beeswax, while older workers forage.
Species
Western Honey Bee
Asian Honey Bee
Red Dwarf Honey Bee
Image Gallery
