Honeybee Biology

7/28/2019 Honeybee Biology

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Honey Bee

Biology:A SweetSuccess

Jeff Littlefield

Dept. LRESMontana State U. - Bozeman

Winston after Wilson


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10,000 year old cave drawing - Spain


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The Enslavement of

BeesThe simple fact is

that the bees are

enslaved. What?

Bees slaves? Yes,bees as slaves.

http://www.vegetus.o

rg/honey/honey.htm10,000 year old cave drawing - Spain


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The Entomology of Desire


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Why Are Honey Bees

Important?

The only reason for beinga bee that I know of ismaking honey . and theonly reason for makinghoney is so that I can eatit. - W. T. Pooh


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Importance of Honey Bees

Honey The FIRST sweetener

Antimicrobial properties Fermentation product


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Wax, propolis, & otherproducts

Wax candles, polish,cosmetics, etc.

Propolis

Pollen

Royal Jelly

Venom


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Pollination 14.5 billion dollars/

year 130+ crops depend

on bee pollination 80% pollination is by

honey bees

http://www.adunnphotography.com


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Fun!!!


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Bee History

Evolved from waspsperhaps 150 million yearsago

A recently found fossilized

bee dates back 97 millionyears First honey bee appeared

20-25 million years ago

Bee keeping by humansoccurred 3,500 years ago

First time introduced intoNorth America early16th

century

www.bursztyn.px.pl/.../boreallodape.html


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Honey Bee Races Scientific name Apismellifera

Natural rangeEurope, Eurasia,

Middle East & Africa

Approximately 24races

Often mixed orartificially bred

Winston


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Honey Bee RacesRace Italian

(Starline,

Cordovan)

Carniolan Caucasian

(Russian)

German

Black

Africanized

(aka Killer

Bees)

Species:

Subspecies

Apis mellifera

ligustica

Apis mellifera

carnica

Apis mellifera

caucasica

Apis mellifera

mellifera

Apis mellifera

scutellata

Origin Italy Alps, northernYugoslavia

Caucasus Mts -

Black & Caspian

Seas

Northern

Europe

Eastern Africa

Color Golden yellow/brown

Dark Gray/brown Lead-gray Brown/black Golden yellow

Over wintering Well (generally)

Build quickly in

spring

Well

Build quickly in

spring

Poorly

Build slowly in

spring

Well

Build slowly in

spring

Poorly

Other -Most popularhoney bee

- Tend to rob

other hives

- Usually gentle

- Swarms

frequently

- Construct comb

slowly

- Gentle

- Gum up their

hives with

propolis (treeresins and

beeswax)

- Gentle to

aggressive

-Nervous in

hive

- Swarmy

- Usually

gentle but

may be

aggressive

- Smaller nests and

swarm more

frequently

- Aggressive


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Why Are Honey Bees

Successful?


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Bees Are Social (Eusocial)

Reproductivedivision of work

Have sterilecastes

Overlappinggenerations

Cooperate in careof young

P. Denke


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Bees Are Superorganisms

Biology of the

Individual

Biology of the

Colony


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External Anatomy

scholastic.com


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External Anatomy

Winston


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External AnatomyWinston

Z. Huang


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External Anatomy


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External Anatomy

Common buttercup

Bjrn Rrslett

http://www.naturfotograf.com/UV_flowers_list.html


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External Anatomy

Winston

Z. Huang

Mackean


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External Anatomy

Winston

Z. Huang


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External Anatomy

Winston

Z. Huang


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External Anatomy

Winston

Z. Huang


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External Anatomy

Winston

Z. Huang


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Internal Anatomy

Grolier's Multimedia

Encyclopedia


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Internal Anatomy

Michener


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Internal Anatomy


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Basic BiologyLife Cycle

Z. Huang

www.texasdron

e.com

Scott Camazine 2006


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Basic Biology

Development

Winston


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Adults

Winston


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Queen

One queen (normally) Only activelyreproducing female

Can produce 1,500eggs per day at theheight of the broodseason

Can live for 2-5 yrs. Controls the hivethrough pheromones


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Workers

Female Usually do not

reproduce Responsible for

most of the work

Colony will have20,000 - 70,000+

Live for 4-6

weeks in summer,4-5 months inwinter

Z. Huang


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Drones

Males Sexually mature at

2 weeks

Mate with femalevirgin queens whilein flight

Upon mating theydie

Removed from thehive in late fall

www.uni.uiuc.edu

M. Frazier


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Inside the Hive

Holldobler

Z. Huang

M. Frazier


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Division of Labor

Among females(reproduction)

Among workers (tasks)

Not fixed somewhat plastic

Depends upono

Age or development of the beeoNeeds of the colony


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Division of Labor

Workers

Young bees:

1 to 10 days

Cell cleaningTend brood

Cap brood

Attend queenZ. Huang


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Division of Labor

Workers

Middle-aged bees:

10 to 20 days old Receive nectar &

pollen Comb building

Hive cleaning

oDebris removal

oUndertakers Climate controlM. Frazier


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Division of Labor

Workers

Old bees:

20 days until death(30-45 days)

Foraging Nectar

Pollen

Water

Resin Hive defense


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Division of Labor

Foraging - Efforts

To make 1 lb honey Bees visit 2,000,000

flowers

Gather 8-10 lbs nectar Fly 55,000 miles

The life work of 1 bee =1/12 teaspoon honey

To make 1 lb wax Need to consume 8-10

lbs honey Z. Huang


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Foraging

Round Dance Waggle Dance

Dances Conveysdirection & distanceto nectar and pollen

sources

Crane after Von Ftrisch

Wikipedia


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Division of Labor

Reproduction

The Queen is theprimary reproductiveunit of the hive

Fertilized eggs may

become eitherworkers or queens

To become a queen, alarva must:

Be fed royal jelly Be fed more food

Have a larger cell Z. Huang


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Division of Labor

Reproduction New Queens arisedue to:

Swarming:The queen initiates anew queen in thehive. She then leaves

with a portion of theworkers & starts anew hive.

Supersedure:Workers kill off the oldqueen & new queensare formed. Generallyto save the existingcolony.

D. Sammataro


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Division of Labor

ReproductionNew virgin queen

Seeks out cells and killsdeveloping queens

Fight to the death withother emerging queens

She sexually matureswithin a few days &makes her mating flight

Returns to the hive &begins to lay eggs aftera few days

M. Frazier


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If she does not return to the hive -

Slide after M. Frazier


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A colony of drones

Slide after M. Frazier

M. Frazier

bees.limey.net/


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Seasons of the Hive

Winter Maintenance of

colony &temperature

Conservation of

food

Spring Increase brood

production Start of foraging

Summer Foraging Brood production Comb production Drone

development Swarming & queen

mating

Autumn Maintenance of

colony Conservation of

food Reduce brood Death of drones


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AcknowledgementsWinston, Mark L. 1987. The biology of the

honey bee. Harvard University Press. 281 p.Crane, Eva. 1990. Bees and beekeeping :science, practice, and world resources.Comstock Pub. Associates. 614 p.

Frazier, M. Penn State UniversityUnderstanding Honey Bee Biology- The Keyto Successful Beekeepinghttp://www.ento.psu.edu/teaching/main/bees/honey_bee_biology010304.pdfHuang.

Bjrn Rrslett,http://www.naturfotograf.com/UV_flowers_list.html

National Honey Bee Board, www.honey.com

Photos from Huang, Z. Michigan State U.Bee Photos. http://photo.bees.net/gallery/,and various other photographers & sourcesthat I ripped off from the Internet.

Honeybee Biology

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