Peter Dutton 28 August 2014 Halesworth& District
Bees Hymenoptera - 150,000+ species Sawflies, Wasps, Bees, Ants, Bees - 20,000+ species Most solitary, a few social Honey Bee - The only one which produces honey
Bee Colony Highly structured social order Three Castes 1 Queen 10-80,000 Workers 100 +/- Drones Active throughout the year need to build up reserves Honey for energy Pollen for protein
Life Cycle of a Bee
Castes -Queen Egg laying machine Larger than workers - 20mm long Two very large ovaries + a Spermatheca Lays up to 2,000 eggs per day Lives for 2 5 years
Castes -Worker Infertile female - 12mm long Has small inactive ovaries Does all the work Lives for 6 weeks in summer and up to 6 months over winter
Castes -Drone Male - 20 mm long and broader Feed by workers Takes no part in maintaining the hive One task to mate with a Queen Dies during mating Any remaining drones are kicked out of the hive before winter starts Live for about 8 weeks
Caste Differentiation Three types of hexagonal wax cells Queen identifies cell and lays appropriate egg Worker Cell Queen Cell Drone Cell Cell 5 to the inch Large often single 4 to the inch Egg Fertilised Fertilised Unfertilised Larval Food Bee Milk Bee Milk + Royal Jelly Bee Milk
Days After Laying Worker Queen Drone Hatching 3 3 3 Larva to 4 th Moult 6½ 6½ 7 Cell Capped 8 8 10 Pupation 10 9 12 Pupal Moult 20 15 22½ Emergence from Cell 21 16 24
The Life of a Worker Bee Juvenile - 2-3 days Hive/Nurse Bee- 15 days Field Bee - 15 days
The Life of a Worker Bee Juvenile Exoskeleton still soft A bit wobbly and can t sting Fed by more mature workers Hive cleaner only
The Life of a Worker Bee Hive/Nurse Bee Bodies hardened, can sting and can fly Produce bee milk for feeding Larvae - Main task Other tasks guards, ventilators, produce wax, build comb, process nectar and honey, etc
The Life of a Worker Bee Field Bee Collect nectar - source of energy and for honey Collect pollen - source of protein for larvae. Collect propolis- bee glue Collect water - cooling and softening honey Can fly up to 3 miles from the hive Sees Ultraviolet light Sees polarised light
Honey 1. Field Bees collect nectar 2. Passed to Hive Bees 3. Hive Bees repeatedly regurgitate it, passing between themselves resulting in it becoming dehydrated 4. Concentration Process Nectar 20-40% sugar Bee stomach - 50% sugar Honey - 80% sugar
Honey -continued 5. For 1lb Honey - Workers fly 55,000 miles 6. 1 ozhoney provides enough energy for 1 Bee to fly around the world 7. Older Bees teach young Bees how to make honey
Communication Touch Continually in contact with their antennae Pheromones Queen produces Queen Substance prevents Worker s ovaries developing inhibits the production of Queen Cells
Communication -continued Workers produce an alarm scent a rallying call scent a sting + an alarm rallying call scent Dance Round Dance - nectar 25-100m from hive Waggle Dance - indicates distance and direction
Waggle Dance The bees Waggle Dance is illustrated at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7iji-g4jhg
A Bee s Year -Spring Still relying on honey reserves Start to build up Brood When above 18 C scout for early blooms
A Bee s Year -Summer Maximum colony size Maximum Honey production Maximum Brood size Keep brood at 34-35 ºC Cool hive if too hot Repel honey thieves robber bees, wasps, etc If too crowded - produce Queen Cells When new Queens are mature - Swarm
Swarm Old queen flies up to drones Many workers join the old Queen after filling their stomachs with Honey so can not sting Queen mates with up to 15 males Form swarm Scouts search out a new home (if first not caught by the bee keeper) Swarm moves to new home New queen takes over in old hive after killing any rivals
A Bee s Year -Autumn Kick out Drones Continue reducing egg laying Keep nectar supply going if over 18º C Generate warmth if hive temperature drops
A Bee s Year -Winter Colony size at lowest Relying solely on stored Honey Keep hive at 20-30 C Collect water when temperature over 18 C Form cluster if temperature falls below 18 C Bee is immobilised at below 8 C and so dies
Threats Pests and Diseases Varroa Mite - transmits diseases Tracheal Mite Nosema - fungal disease Foul Brood - bacterium Habitat Loss
Threats -continued Pesticides Any insecticide Neonicotinoids - 2013: a 2 year ban Management Practices Selective breeding reduced genetic diversity Use of antibiotics
Threats -continued Colony Collapse Syndrome First described in 1869 Symptoms: sudden disappearance of workers presence of a Queen presence of capped brood presence of honey and pollen stores Losses - up to 45% (10 15 % normal)
Threats -continued Possible Causes: heavy pest and disease burden reduced genetic diversity pesticides and antibiotics use immunodeficiences malnutrition NO SINGLE CAUSE BUT ALL RESULT IN STRESS ON THE COLONY