Life Cycle of Honey Bee

Presented By:Md. Mahtab RashidBPSAC/21/2012-2013B.Sc (Ag)7th Semester, 4th Year

Life cycle of honey bee A. The life cycle of honey-bees consist of four developmental stages i.e

i. Eggii. Larvaeiii. Pupaiv. Adult/Imago

B. The development of honey-bees is Complete metamorphosis/ Indirect metamorphosis/ Holometabolus type of metamorphosis.

C. Larva differs greatly in form from adult. Compound eyes are absent in larva. Lateral ocelli or stemmata are the visual organs. Their mouth parts and food habit differ from adults. Wing development is internal. When the larval growth is completed, it

transforms into pupa. During the non-feeding pupal stage, the larval tissues disintegrate and adult organs are built up.

D. Queen deposits egg at the base of cell and fastens with mucilaginous secretion. After 3 days egg hatches and workers provide pearly white food in which “C” shaped larva floats. Cell is sealed when larva is fully grown. In the sealed cell it turns into pupa from which adult emerges. Larva sheds skin five times during development. The sealed cells containing worker and drone brood and honey can be differentiated on the basis of appearance.E. In a comb, workers rear brood in the central part where temperature can easily be maintained and honey is stored in the upper and peripheral part. Pollen is stored around brood area so that it is easily available for rearing brood. Drone brood area can be differentiated from worker brood as the sealed brood cells in the former case are raised.

Eggs The queen bee lays both fertilized and unfertilized eggs.

i. The fertilized eggs i.e diploid give rise to the queen and worker bees

2N

ii. The unfertilized eggs i.e haploid give rise to the drones.

N The eggs are morphologically similar. They are pearl white in color and slightly curved. Eggs are laid singly and vertically in the cell attached to the bottom of the

cells. Fertilized eggs are laid in either worker brood cells or queen cells. Unfertilized eggs are laid in drone cells. At the end of 3rd day, the egg shell get dissolved and the larvae emerge

out.

Eggs laid in the cells

A single egg

Larval Stage The larvae is loop shaped initially towards cell capping. They stretch in

the cell with head facing towards distal end of the cell. Larvae of all caste moult four times after which they enter pre-pupal stage.

Larvae is hemicephalous type which means head is partially developed and legless.

Honey-bee larvae in the cells

Pupal Stage In this stage the larvae is is held in a thin silken cocoon around

themselves and undergo gradual but drastic changes. All the characters of adulthood appears in this stage of life cycle of honey bees.

The pupa is exarate type which means various appendages viz., antennae, legs and wing pads are not glued to the body. They are free. The pupa is soft and pale .

The pupa are sealed and can be differentiated between drone and worker as the seal is raised of the drones.

Honey-bee pupae

Adult or Imago When pupal development is completed, the insect

changes to adult. It is followed by pupal moult and adult bee emerge out of sealed cells.

In addition of adult bees each normal colont has different developmental stages/brood i.e eggs and larvae are unsealed and the pupae as sealed broods.

Adult coming out of the cell

Duration of life stages of different castes of honey beeCaste

Egg period (days)

Larval Stage(days)

Pupal Stage (days)

Total (days)

A.cerana

A.Mellifera

A.cerana

A.mellifera

A.cerana

A.mellifera

A.cerana

A.mellifera

Queen 3 3 5 5 7-8 8 15-16 16

Worker

3 3 4-5 5 11-12 12-13 18-20 21

Drones

3 3 7 7 14 14 24 24

Thank You for keeping patience