DBKA -Tiverton Branch

Beekeeping for Beginners

Session Four –The Colony

Tutor - Derek Evans

THIS SESSION: We will look at

1. Who makes up ‘The Colony’?

2. What are the Individual Life Cycles of The

Colony?

3. What are the jobs of the bees?

1. Who makes up ‘The Colony’?

2. How many?

1. Who makes up the colony?

How many in The Colony?

Summer Winter

▪ Queen – 1 1

▪ Worker – 60,000 10,000

▪ Drone – 200-2,000 0

Summer – June/July

▪ 5,000 – 7,000 eggs

▪ 7,000 – 11,000 larvae being fed

▪ 16,000 – 24,000 larvae pupating into adults in sealed

cells

Number of bees in The Colony

Nectar flow

May to July

Nectar v Honey

Raw Material for the bees

Nectar consists of around 60%-80% water with a little

sugar, organic acids, and a handful of amino acids that add

flavours and aroma attractants for the pollinators.

Finished product from the bees

Honey is nectar that has been enzymatically treated by bees

(to convert and rearrange some of the sugars) and then

dehydrated to around 18% - 20% water, producing a

concentrated sugar solution which can be stored for long

periods

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwikt5mGorDPAhXBtRQKHRPYAegQjRwIBw&url=http://www.geochembio.com/biology/organisms/honeybee/&psig=AFQjCNGdplLorXvNBVco0xy0p6Fr6_tS9g&ust=1475090379208715

Head of a bee

1. Eyes

▪ 3 Ocelli eyes

react to light & movement

▪ 2 Compound eyes

Queen 3,000 – 4,000 facets

Worker 4,000 – 6,900 facets

Drone 7,000 – 8,600 facets

2. Antenna - taste,touch,smell

3. Mandible - jaws

4. Proboscis - tongue

1. Hypopharyngeal gland – initially to produce royal jelly

2. Wax gland

3. Sting gland

4. Hypopharyngeal gland – evolves further to produce enzymes to process

nectar into honey

5. Nasanov gland – attraction scent during swarming

RECAP 1. Head 2. Thorax 3. Abdomen

Queen

▪ Queen hatches from a fertilised egg

▪ On her mating flight she mates with up to

20 Drones (Drones then die)

▪ Her temperament affects the whole

colony

▪ Pheromone(or queen substance) informs

colony all is well

▪ 30 minutes for a colony to realise that she

is missing

▪ She lays up to 2,000 eggs a day in summer,

nearly zero in winter

▪ Queen attendants(workers) – feed, encourage

her to lay, grooming, remove her excrement

▪ Can only sting another queen

▪ She can live 2 to 5 years

Drone - (male)

▪ Drone hatches from an unfertilised egg

▪ Sole job is to mate with a virgin Queen

▪ Drone Congregation Area

▪ Drones do not have a sting

▪ Fed by worker bees

▪ Not loyal to one colony

▪ In early Autumn, all the Drones are

evicted and die!

Worker – (all female)

▪ Worker hatches from a fertilised egg

▪ 6 weeks in the summer

▪ 6 months in winter

▪ Sting - defence mechanism to protect the

colony

▪ Work until they die – more to follow after

the coffee break!

2. Individual Life Cycles Developmental stages

Comparison of the Individual Cycles

Egg stage 3 3 3

Larva stage 5 6 7

Pupa stage 8 12 14

Emerge as adult 16 days 21 days 24 days

Lifespan as adult 2 to 5 yrs 6 wks (summer) 3 months

6 mths (winter)

Eggs hatch after first 3 days (1 - 3) into larvae

Second 3 days (4 -6) all larvae fed royal jelly

After day 6 worker (7 – 9) and drone (7 – 10) fed brood

food – higher % of hypopharyngeal secretion

Queen (6 – 8)

larvae fed royal jelly for a further 2 days

What is Royal Jelly and Brood Food?

Royal Jelly:

▪ Secreted from the hypopharyngeal gland of the

worker

▪ Mixture of pollen(protein), nectar (24% carb), enzymes,

amino acids

Brood Food/Bee Bread:

▪ Gathered & stored in cells

▪ Mixture of pollen(protein), nectar (12% carb), yeasts

Larvae in Royal Jelly

Brood Food/Bee Bread

Stages 1 and 2 - Eggs & Larvae

Stage 2 and 3 – Larvae & Pupae

Stages 1, 2 & 3

Egg Larvae Pupae

Brood Frame

NB

Brood area

Stores of honey

Pollen

Brood Frame with Queen Cells

NB

Queen Cup

Queen Cells

Brood

Queen emerging from the Queen cell

Worker cells - Drone cells - Honey

Worker bees Hatching

Pub quiz - answers

1. Bees usually fly at

2. Top speed is

3. They rarely fly

4. It takes the life of

5. Life of a Worker

about 12 mph

nearly 22 mph

more than 3 miles

from the hive

12 bees to make a

teaspoon of honey

6 weeks in summer

Let’s take a break

then we’ll

consider the bees

division of labour

3. What are the jobs of a worker bee?

Life of a worker bee can be divided into:

1. Hive/House Bee – first 3 weeks0 to 10th day = nursing/welfare

10th to 21st day = food storers

2. Field Bee – second 3 weeks21st day plus = forager

HIVE BEES –Welfare Department0 to 10th day approx.

Hatching

Cleaning the cells

Feed larvae

Undertaker bees

Queen & her attendants

HIVE BEES - Processing Department10th to 21st day approx.

Pollen packing Nectar packing

HIVE BEES - Processing Department10th to 21st day approx.

Processing nectar Propolising

HIVE BEES - Security & Construction

Department 10th to 21st day approx.

Guard bees Wax production

HIVE BEES – Security & Construction

Department10th to 21st day approx.

Cell building Cell capping

HIVE BEES - Security & Construction

Department10th to 21st day approx.

Ventilation Engineers

Temperature and bees

▪ Min outside temp to fly

▪ Min temp to open hive

▪ Temp inside brood nest

▪ Combs collapse

10° C

15° C – short sleeve weather!

35° C

47° C

FIELD BEES – Foragingover 21 days

foraging pollen Foraging Nectar

Nectar

Pollen

FIELD BEES - Foraging

Propolis Water

What is propolis?

▪ Resinous sticky gums and balsams from various

plants and trees. Common sources are :- Alder, Birch,

Cherry, Peach, Plum, Conifers, Hazel, Horse Chestnut,

Oak, Poplar & Willow

▪ Resins mixed with salivary enzymes, wax, other

foreign materials such as wax moth scales, hive litter

and organic debris. Approx. recipe is 50% resins &

balsams, 30% wax, 10% essential oils, 5% pollen & 5%

organic debris

Recap

Daily Chores Hive Bees

WELFARE DEPT.

Hatching

Cleaning Bees

Nurse Bees

Undertaker Bees

Queen attendants

PROCESSING DEPT.

Pollen packing

Nectar packing

Processing nectar

Propolising

SECURITY & CONSTRUCTION DEPT.

Guard Bees

Wax production

Cell building

Cell Capping

Ventilation Engineers

Field Bees

FORAGING DEPT.

Pollen

Nectar

Propolis

Water

Tonight we have looked at -

1. The make up of ‘The Colony’ - WHO’s WHO

2. The Individual Life Cycles - EGG TO HATCH

3. The jobs bees do - HATCH TO DISPATCH

4. Communication – PHEROMONES/DANCES/

ODOURS

References for - The Colony

1. The BBKA Guide to Beekeeping by Ivor Davis & Roger

Cullum-Kenyon Pgs. 16-31 ISBN 978-1-4729-2089-8

2. Haynes Bee Manual by Claire & Adrian Waring Pgs. 14-23

ISBN 978 0 85733V057 4

Session 5

Colony Management

next session

How do Bees Communicate?

Methods of communication:

▪ Pheromones

▪ Floral Odours

▪ Bee Dances

▪ A pheromone is a chemical message which

changes behaviour

▪ Instant change eg nasonov gland, sting

▪ Slow acting eg queen substance

Bee DancesDances incl. variables e.g. tempo, buzzing

▪ Shaking signal (wake up foragers)

▪ Round Dance (distance < 50 metres)

▪ Sickle Dance (distance 50 to 150 metres)

▪ Waggle Dance (distance & direction > 150 metres)

▪ Tremble Dance (activate food storers)

Ref: 1.Dr.Karl von Frisch (1886 -1982) Nobel Prize 1973

2.Prof. Tom Seeley The Bee Colony as a Honey Factory

(A lecture given by Tom Seeley at the 2017 National Honey Show)

3.

Round Dance & Sickle Dance

Waggle Dance distance calculator