Fascinating Bees facts in this page.
From their essential role in pollination to their intriguing social structures, we delve into the world of these remarkable insects.
Bees
are not just buzzling insects.
Bees
are crucial components of our ecosystem!
BEES are not only about Honey
Bees vs. Ecosystem
Bees are prolific pollinators, and many of our food crops rely on them for reproduction.
Fruits, vegetables, nuts, and various other crops need bees to transfer pollen between flowers, enabling them to bear fruit.
Without Bees, global food production would suffer and the availability of these nutrient-rich foods would decline!
The Honey Bee Life Cycle
Egg Stage
The life cycle of worker bees
begins with tiny eggs laid by the queen bee.
Queen bee is the only bee in the colony capable of laying 2,000 to 3,000 eggs in 1 day.
The eggs initially stand upright in cells and tipping over by day 3.
There are 2 types of eggs:
1. Fertilized eggs – become female workers or queens.
2. Unfertilized eggs – hatch into male drone bees.
Larva Stage
For the first 3 to 4 days, all bee larva receive the same nutrition,
a substance known as Royal Jelly.
After this period, worker and drone larva’s diet shifts to beebread,
a mixture of pollen, nectar, honey, and bee saliva.
Developing queens, on the other hand, continue to receive royal jelly until they are capped.
After 6 days, adult worker bees seal the cell with wax to allow the bee to complete its development inside.
While their cells are capped, they will turn into pupa,
which brings us to the next stage.
Pupa Stage
The pupa stage is the final phase before the developed bee emerges from the cell.
The duration of time spent in the capped cell varies depending on the bee’s role in the hive:
- queen bees pupate for 7,
- worker bees for 12 days,
- and drone bees take 15 days.
During this time, the pupa spins a cocoon around itself,
where it develops its wings, eyes, legs, abdomen, and thorax,
until finally looks like the honey bees we all recognize.
Adult Stage
When the pupa reaches maturity,
the newly formed adult bee chews its way out of the sealed cell.
The time required for complete development varies among different types of bees:
- Queen bees take 16 days from the egg stage to become adults.
- Worker bees need 18 to 22 days for their complete development.
- Drone bees take 24 days to develop into adult bees.
Newly born bees are easily recognizable by their fluffy blond hairs,
giving them a distinctive “newborn” appearance.
FAQ
How do bees make honey?
Bees make honey by collecting nectar from flowers and storing it in their honey stomachs. They then return to the hive, where they regurgitate the nectar and fan it with their wings to evaporate excess moisture, turning it into honey.
How do bees navigate?
Bees are exceptional navigators. They use the sun as a compass during the day and rely on the polarized light pattern of the sky for orientation. Inside the hive, they communicate directions through their famous waggle dance.
Are all Bees capable of stinging?
No, not all Bees can sting. Only female Bees, including worker Bees and queens, possess stingers. Male Bees, known as drones, lack stingers.
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