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Almost every person who is interested in beekeeping wonders how many bees are in one hive. Of course, counting insects one at a time is not an option. Firstly, it will take more than one day, since there can be tens of thousands of bees, and secondly, this is basically impossible, since insects are small in size and are in constant motion. To perform a count, you must first examine the information regarding the hierarchy of these insects, and then apply one of the calculation methods.
What factors affect the number of bees in a hive
The number of all organisms is influenced by various factors and causes. The following circumstances affect the population in the hive:
- The presence of weak queens. Such individuals make weak offspring, which subsequently affects the performance of the entire family. In turn, this will cause a lag in the development of the hive;
- Problems with maintaining strong families on the same level. With a constant change in their numbers, insects lose the ability to independently produce strong offspring;
- A small amount of nectar, water and bee bread. The lack of a bribe negatively affects the uterus. Her brood turns out to be weak, as a result of which the total population of the hive decreases;
- Air temperature during the breeding season. Warm weather is necessary for good offspring: only in this case is it possible to have a good influx of queens, as well as workers;
- The broods should be open, which will allow the worker bees to feed the queens well. All this contributes to the emergence of strong individuals in the family;
- Large number of queens. The strength of the brood depends on the quality of the resulting queens.
How many bees in one family
A family of bees can be considered a kind of state, since they have a certain hierarchy, headed by a queen. The main task of queens is to produce offspring.
Drones make up a small part of the bee family. They come from eggs that have not been fertilized. Their main task is considered to be mating with the queen of the family.
According to observations, one bee colony can contain about 100 males. All others become exiles. Some part will die, some will mate with the queen of another family. Upon completion of their mission, the drones die.
The main part of the insects that populate the hive consists of working individuals that perform different functions. Responsibilities depend on age:
- The cocoon stage lasts about 3 weeks. When small bees appear on the account, from the first day they learn from older individuals;
- The first 2 weeks the bees not only eat, but also begin to clean in a personal cell;
- On the 18th day of life, the bees begin to produce wax, which they need to build honeycombs;
- Then the young individuals move to the entrance, where they continue to observe the life of their family;
- A month after birth, workers begin to collect nectar. From that moment on, they can be considered adults.
At the height of the honey harvest, one bee colony can have about 80 bees.
How many bee colonies in one hive
Only one family of bees can live in 1 hive. The only exception is the breeding season, since at this time a new uterus appears. The process of formation of a new swarm begins, after which it leaves the hive.
How many bees are in the hive
To see the whole family, you must wait until evening, because it is during this period of the day that the entire colony returns to the hive. But even so it is difficult to say exactly how many bees are in one hive. The number of these insects also strongly depends on the time of year.
How the number of bees in a hive changes depending on the season
The largest population growth occurs in the spring. The reason for this is the appearance of flowering on plants, which are further pollinated by bees. In mid-spring, the population in the hive can reach 80 thousand individuals.
The renewal of the insect family takes place in May. At this time, the old generation of individuals that survived the winter leaves the colony. Even before the start of the summer period, the number of young bees in the colony will reach 95 percent. If we translate these data into numerical form, then this will amount to about 85 thousand insects.
It is during this period that it is necessary to separate families, because if this is not done, 50 percent of the population of the colony can be lost. Immediately after separation, the bee colony begins to prepare supplies for the winter.
As the autumn period approaches, the queen bee reduces the rate of egg laying, and eventually stops altogether. The total number of insects is also reduced due to the fact that the workers are expelled from the colony of males.
In winter, the colony is not involved in anything. During the cold season, many bees living in the hive die. With the onset of spring, the uterus begins to lay eggs again, which is why the bee family is replenished. This cycle of life of insects is repeated from year to year.
Several ways to count the number of bees in a hive
All beekeepers approach their work very responsibly. Many of them even keep a special diary in which they indicate the approximate population of each colony.
Of course, it is impossible to determine the exact number of individuals of the insect family. Despite this, it is still possible to calculate the approximate number of inhabitants of the hive.
In a bee family, each individual has its own direct duties and must fulfill them, therefore all bees are in their place, namely:
- Nursing bees: saturate the brood;
- Builders; perform the construction of new cells;
- Uterus: together with his retinue is on the seed combs.
1 method
A standard frame can hold about 3,3 thousand cells. The worker bee reaches a size of 1,5 centimeters. One side of the honeycomb frame can accommodate about 1,1 – 1,15 thousand bees. If you count the number of insects on both sides, you get about 2,2 – 2,3 thousand individuals. The resulting number must be multiplied by the number of frames in the hive. Thus, it is possible to calculate the number of the entire family of bees.
2 method
The second option for determining the population of the hive is to calculate the weight of the insect. In this calculation, the type of bees to be bred must be taken into account, since the mass of different species can vary greatly.
First of all, you need to find out the mass of the hive and frames without bees. Then, having covered the notch, it is necessary to determine how much the hive weighs together with the bees. The first number is subtracted from the second number, and the result is divided by the weight of the bee. The resulting number will be the approximate number of individuals in this family.
Conclusion
In one hive of bees there can be several tens of thousands of insects. Each individual has a duty that she diligently fulfills: the queen is responsible for the emergence of new offspring, the drone is engaged in the fertilization of the uterus, and the worker bees collect nectar and build new combs. The number of one family varies from time of year.