Contents
Bees reproduce in the wild by swarming. The uterus lays eggs, worker bees and young females appear from fertilized eggs, drones are born from unfertilized eggs, their only function is reproduction. Reproduction of bees is the only way to preserve and increase the population of insects, not only in the apiary, but also in the wild.
Where do bees come from
Bees create colonies in which functional loads are strictly distributed between individuals. Within the same swarm, 3 types of insects coexist: workers, queen and drones. The duties of worker bees include collecting honey, caring for offspring, feeding the female. Drones (males) are responsible for fertilizing the queen. Their only purpose is reproduction. The queen lays eggs and is the basis of the bee family, but she is not responsible for raising offspring.
Bees reproduce in the wild in a natural way: by mating a female with a drone and swarming. In the latter case, part of the family leaves with the young queen and forms a new family. In apiaries, there is a method of artificial reproduction of colonies with the participation of a beekeeper. Reproduction is carried out by dividing the family, “raiding on the uterus”, layering.
Natural reproduction of colonies of honeybees and other species
One of the methods of reproduction in bees is parthenogenesis, when a full-fledged individual is born from an unfertilized egg. Drones with a complete set of the genome characteristic of the species appear in the family in this way.
How bees mate
Drones and queens reach puberty and the ability to reproduce on the 10th day after leaving the cell. Males fly out of the hive and move about 4 km from the swarm. Drones from all families gather in a certain place at a height of 12 m above the ground.
The queen conducts her first fact-finding flights at the age of three days. The purpose of the flight is to study the area around the hive. There may be several indicative overflights. When it reaches puberty, it is ready for reproduction. In warm weather, flies out for fertilization. The female bee secretes a secret, to the smell of which the drones react. Mating with representatives of their own family does not occur. Drones do not react to their “sisters”, only to females from another swarm.
Mating in bees takes place in the air, at the time of fertilization, insects fall to the ground, so they do not fly over water and near water bodies. The uterus makes several mating flights lasting 20 minutes. In the process of fertilization of one female, up to 6 drones or more are involved.
Throughout the process of reproduction, the stinging canal of the uterus remains open. When the paired oviducts are completely filled with the biological material of drones, it clamps the canal, the copulatory organ of the last male comes off, closing the passage, the drone dies. The arrival of the female in the hive with a white film near the abdomen is a signal that fertilization is completed. After a few hours, the “loop” comes off.
fertilization process:
- The seminal fluid of the male is forcefully pushed into the eruption channel.
- Following the sperm, a secret is secreted from the accessory glands, which promotes the seminal fluid to the exit.
- Sperm is injected into the female’s oviducts.
- Part of the liquid flows out, a large mass enters the seed receptacle.
When the receiver is full, up to 6 million spermatozoa accumulate in it. In case of bad weather, the flight of the queen is delayed. The reproductive period of the female lasts about 1 month. If during this period she could not be fertilized, then only drones are obtained from the masonry.
Stages of development
The process of fertilization of the egg and mating diverge in time. The queen bee fertilizes eggs at the time of laying, and does this throughout the reproductive life. Cherry is carried out in empty cells, they are different in size (drone ones are larger). At the time of laying, the female injects seminal fluid from the seed receptacle onto the egg. An egg laid in a drone cell remains unfertilized. The productivity of the uterus per day is about 2 thousand eggs. Laying begins in February, after wintering of insects. Under favorable conditions in the hive (+350 C) frames with brood are observed in spring. Maintaining the microclimate in the hive is part of the function of working individuals. Insects do not leave drones for wintering.
In the process of becoming bees, 5 stages are monitored:
- egg (embryonic stage);
- larva;
- prepupa;
- pupa;
- imago (formed adult).
The embryonic stage lasts 3 days, the nucleus divides inside the egg, in the process of crushing cells appear that form the wings, body and genitals of the insect. The inner shell of the egg is torn, a larva appears.
Postembryonic development takes place in several stages lasting up to 3 weeks. The larva is equipped with special glands that secrete a secret for the formation of a cocoon. Outwardly, it does not look like an adult insect, immediately after the exit it looks like a rounded fat body 1,5 mm in size. The brood feeds on a special substance generated by adult bees. At the age of three days, the size of the larva reaches 6 mm. For 1 week, the initial weight of the brood increases 1,5 thousand times.
During the first days, the brood is fed with milk. The next day, the drones and workers are transferred to honey mixed with bee bread, the queens are fed only milk until the end of formation. Eggs and larvae are located in open combs. On the 7th day, a cocoon is formed around the prepupae, the combs are sealed with wax.
Development of a bee by day:
Stage | worker bee | Uterus | Drone |
Egg | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Larva | 6 | 5 | 7 |
Pre-pupa | 3 | 2 | 4 |
Pupa | 9 | 6 | 10 |
Total: | 21 | 16 | 24 |
On average, the birth of a bee from egg to adult takes 24 days.
How do bees appear
After blockage of the cell, the larva creates a cocoon and remains immobile. During this time, all the organs of the insect are formed. The pupa looks like an adult bee. After the expiration of the formation period, the body of the insect is painted in a dark color and covered with a pile. The insect has a fully developed aircraft, organs of vision and smell. This is a full-fledged bee, which is distinguished from an adult by the size and tone of color. The young bee is smaller, the color is lighter. All this time, the children eat bee bread, left before the blockage. After full formation, before birth, the bee gnaws through the wax cover and comes to the surface.
How a queen bee is born
From the moment of laying eggs, the appearance of a new queen is regulated by worker bees. A new queen can be born from any fertilized egg, it all depends on the feeding of the brood. If subsequently the children are transferred to honey and bee bread, then the young queens are left on the same feeding with royal jelly. After blockage, the honeycombs are filled with milk. Visually, they are larger, there are up to 4 bookmarks per family.
After formation, the future queen is still in the comb until the food runs out. Then it gnaws through the passage and appears on the surface. Her development cycle is shorter than that of drones and worker bees; immediately after birth, the queen destroys rivals that have not yet appeared. Only one queen will remain in the family. If the beekeeper did not remove the old queen in a timely manner, the colony enters a state of swarming.
Swarming as a breeding method for bee colonies
In the wild, swarming is a normal breeding process for bees. In apiaries, they try to prevent this method of reproduction. The prerequisites for swarming are:
- The appearance of a large number of young bees.
- Close room.
- Excess food.
- Bad ventilation.
Young individuals remain idle, the entire functional load is distributed among old insects. They start laying some queen cells. This is a sign of future swarming. The reason for leaving is often the old queen, unable to fully produce the pheromones that the bees are oriented to. The weak smell of the uterus causes anxiety and the need to lay new queen cells.
The young bees left without work begin to accumulate near the notch. The old uterus is transferred to honey and bee bread, it decreases in weight and size, this is preparatory work before its departure. The swarm flies out on the 10th day after placing the egg in the mother cell. The main composition is young insects. First, scout bees fly around to find a new nest site. After their signal, the swarm rises, flies a short distance and sits down.
The bees are at rest for about 1 hour, during which time the queen joins them. As soon as the queen has reunited with the main mass, the swarm flies away for a long distance and it will be almost impossible to catch it. In the old hive, 50% of the bees from the former family remain, among them young individuals are not found. Thus, the process of reproduction of the population in the wild takes place.
How to propagate bees artificially
In apiaries, beekeepers try to prevent swarming. This breeding method is not suitable. The process is reflected in the productivity of bees, it is difficult to catch a departed swarm, often insects fly away forever. Therefore, reproduction is carried out artificially: by dividing families, layering, “raiding on the uterus.”
The division of families
The purpose of this breeding method is to make two from one overcrowded family. Algorithm for reproduction by division:
- Next to the old beehive, put similar in shape and color.
- 12 frames are placed in it, 8 of them with brood, the rest with bee bread and honey. The frames are transferred when the bees sit on them.
- Substitute 4 frames with empty foundation.
- The fetal uterus is planted. The first 2 days she is kept in a special structure, the behavior of the bees is observed. If there is no aggression from the worker insects, the queen is released.
In the new hive, the young female starts laying eggs in empty cells. In another hive, the old and part of the bees will remain. Reproduction in this way has the only drawback, the bees may not accept the new queen.
layering
This method of reproduction consists in the formation of layering from different families. Before breeding colonies by this method, a queen bee is taken out or a frame with a mother liquor is taken. Create conditions for keeping the future swarm:
- Prepare the nuclei.
- The female in the layering must be barren.
- They take 4 frames from donor, strong families along with the bees, put them in the hive, shake off the bees from 2 frames there.
- Place 3 frames with food, launch the uterus.
This method of reproduction is quite productive, after fertilization, an infertile female will begin laying, working individuals will take care of her and the brood.
The method of “raid on the uterus”
This option of artificial reproduction is carried out if signs of swarming are observed in the hive. Approximate time for reproduction from the second half of May to July 15. This is the time of active honey collection, “raid” is carried out in the first half of the day, when most of the insects are flying around. Family breeding sequence:
- They prepare the hive, remove the old one to the side, and put a new one in its place.
- Frames with honey are placed (about 5 pieces).
- Put 3 frames with wax.
- The queen is transferred from the old hive to a new one with a brood frame.
Most of the workers will return to their female. In the old hive, young growth will remain; they substitute a frame with a mother liquor. Reproduction ends after the appearance of a young female. The bees, loaded with work, stop swarming.
Conclusion
Bees reproduce in the wild by fertilizing a female and then swarming – this is the natural way. They try not to allow reproduction by this method in apiary conditions. On beekeeping farms, bees are propagated artificially: by dividing the family, layering, transplanting the fetal female into a new hive.