Contents
A strong bee colony produces marketable honey and several layerings during the season. They buy it for their apiary in the spring. By the time of purchase, at least a month must have passed from the flight. During this time, the process of changing bees takes place. According to the state of the bee colony, it is easier to understand whether the queen is good or bad. On the summer cottage you can keep 3 bee colonies.
What is a “bee colony”
In spring and summer, a bee colony should have 1 fertile queen, from 20 to 80 thousand workers, 1-2 thousand drones and brood from 8 to 9 frames. There should be 12 frames in total. In beekeeping, buying a bee package is considered the simplest way to develop a bee colony. According to GOST 20728-75, it should include:
- bees – 1,2 kg;
- brood frames (300 mm) – at least 2 pcs.;
- queen bee – 1 pc.;
- feed – 3 kg;
- packing for transportation.
How the bee colony works
For a full life and reproduction in the hive, there must be a full composition of the bee colony. A beginner beekeeper should have an idea about the structure of the bee colony and the functions of individuals. The uterus reproduces offspring. Outwardly, it differs from other insects:
- body size – its length can reach 30 mm;
- greater than that of working individuals in weight, it depends on the breed, it can reach up to 300 mg;
- they do not have baskets on their paws, in which workers collect pollen.
The uterus does not have wax glands, the eyes are poorly developed. The life of the entire highly organized bee family is built around the uterus. Usually she is alone per hive (bee colony). There are many worker bees in bee colonies, the number goes into the thousands. A lot of things related to the life support of the bee colony inside and outside the hive are performed by them:
- build honeycombs;
- feed larvae, drones, uterus;
- fly out to collect pollen, nectar;
- they heat the frames with brood, maintain the desired air temperature in the hive;
- clean the cell cells.
Drones are essential members of the bee family. These insects are males, their role in the bee colony is the same – the fertilization of eggs, which occurs during their mating with the uterus. By virtue of their purpose, they are visually different from the females living in the hive. The drone has no sting, the proboscis is small. It is impossible for them to collect pollen from a flower. The dimensions of the male are larger than those of working females:
- the average weight of a drone is 260 mg;
- body size – 17 mm.
The female (womb) of the drones is found by the smell of the uterine substance (pheromone). They feel it from a great distance. Drones are fed by workers. During the summer they eat almost 50 kg of honey. During summer cold snaps, they can warm the brood (eggs, larvae) inside the hive, gathering in groups near the cells.
How are responsibilities distributed among the individuals of the bee colony
In bee families, a strict hierarchy is observed. The work process, continuously flowing inside the hive and outside it, is distributed strictly by age. All family work on the hive falls on young bees, whose age does not exceed 10 days:
- prepare the vacant cells in the combs for new egg laying (clean, polish);
- maintain the desired temperature of the brood, while they sit on the surface of the frames or slowly move along them.
Nurse bees take care of the brood. Individuals pass into this status after they form special glands that produce royal jelly. Feeding glands are located on the head. Perga is a raw material for the production of royal jelly. Her wet nurses absorb in large quantities.
The drones mate with the queen outside the hive. This process takes place during flight. From the moment of exit from the cell to the onset of puberty, about 2 weeks pass. During daylight hours, sexually mature drones fly out 3 times. The first time was in the middle of the day. Flights are short, about 30 minutes.
Working bees
All worker bees are female. One young individual that emerged from the cell weighs up to 100 mg, the size of the body is 12-13 mm. Due to the lack of developed genital organs, female workers cannot reproduce.
Life cycle of a worker bee
The lifespan of worker bees depends on the strength of the bee colony, weather conditions, and the volume of the bribe. The first life cycle lasts 10 days. During this period of life, the young worker exists inside the hive and is classified as a hive bee. During this period of time, feeding glands are formed in individuals.
The next 10 days fall on the second life cycle. It starts on the 10th day of the life of the bee, ends on the 20th. During this period, wax glands form in the abdomen and reach their maximum size. At the same time, the feed glands cease to function. An individual from a nurse turns into a builder, a cleaner, a protector.
The third cycle is the final one. It begins on the 20th day and lasts until the death of the working individual. The wax glands cease to function. Adult workers turn into pickers. They leave household chores to young insects. If the weather is favorable, the pickers fly out for a bribe.
Hive and flight worker bees
A strict hierarchy is observed in each bee colony. It is built on the basis of the physiological state of worker bees, determined by their age. According to this hierarchy, all employees are divided into 2 groups:
- hive (40%);
- flight (60%).
The age of most non-flying individuals is 14-20 days, the older ones are included in the group of flying bees. Hive worker bees make short flights for 3-5 days, during which they clean the intestines by defecation.
The role of the worker bee
After reaching 3 days of age, young worker bees eat, rest and take part in brood care. At this time, they heat the brood with their bodies. Growing up, the working individual becomes a cleaner.
The queen can lay her eggs in clean, prepared cells. Maintenance of vacated cells is the responsibility of cleaners. It is responsible for a number of cell maintenance works:
- cleaning;
- propolis polishing;
- wetting with saliva.
Cleaners take out dead insects, moldy bee bread, and other waste. The working individual of the bee colony from 12 to 18 days of life becomes a nurse and a builder. The nurse bee should be near the brood. She provides food for family members. The life of larvae, queens, drones that have just hatched from sealed cells of young bees depends on the nurses.
The duties of hive bees include:
- production of honey from nectar;
- removal of excess moisture from nectar;
- honeycomb filling;
- sealing the cells with wax.
Worker bees collect nectar and pollen for most of their short lives as part of a bee colony. An individual becomes a picker when it reaches the age of 15-20 days.
How is bee brood formed?
In beekeeping, brood is understood as the totality of eggs, larvae, and pupae. Bees hatch from them after a certain period of time. The device (reproduction) of bee colonies occurs in spring and summer. From the eggs that the uterus laid in the honeycomb cell, larvae hatch on the 3rd day.
They eat heavily for 6 days. In a short period of time, the mass of each increases 500 times. When the larva reaches the required size, they stop feeding it. The entrance to the cell of the worker of the bee colony is sealed with wax.
Before turning into a full-fledged adult insect, a certain number of days pass. The sealed chrysalis spins a cocoon around itself. The pupal stage lasts:
- drones – 14 days;
- it takes 12 days to form worker bees;
- 9 days pass before the appearance of the uterus.
Brood type | Description |
All in all | Eggs lie in open cells of honeycombs |
Gut | Larvae live in open cells of honeycombs |
Open | Open cells contain eggs and larvae |
printed | The cells are sealed with wax, they contain pupae |
The number of bees in the hive depending on the season
The strength of a bee colony is determined by the number of frames covered by bees. Frames with side dimensions of 300 x 435 mm hold 250 insects. Classification of the bee colony during the harvest:
- strong – 6 kg or more;
- medium – 4-5 kg;
- weak – < 3,5 kg.
In a strong hive during honey collection, the number of bee colonies is 60-80 thousand working individuals, in winter it decreases to 20-30 thousand. Strengths of a strong family:
- a large number of flying individuals supplying nectar;
- honey ripening is faster;
- flying individuals in bee colonies live longer, as they wear out less.
How long does a bee live
The life expectancy of honey bees depends on the time of birth (spring, summer, autumn), the size of the brood, the intensity of daily work, diseases, weather, and the amount of food. The breed of the bee colony plays a significant role.
The most productive, hardy, resistant to infections are the bee colonies of the Central breed. Individuals of this species withstand a long wintering (7-8 months). The Ukrainian steppe variety is resistant to low temperatures.
Easily adapt to the harsh conditions of the bee colony of the Krajinsky breed. In the harsh climate, the Carpathian breed winters well. In the south of the country, Buckfast and Caucasian varieties are popular.
For a bee colony of any breed, favorable conditions must be created:
- hive of optimal size;
- warm wintering;
- leave enough food in the hives;
- take the apiary to a good place where there are many honey plants.
How long does a worker bee live
The lifespan of worker bees determines the time of their appearance. Insects born in the bee colony in spring and summer do not live long. From their exit from the cell to death, it takes at most 4-5 weeks. Forager bees live up to 40 days in a strong colony, and in a weak colony – only 25 days. There are many dangers on their way of life. Warm weather prolongs life.
Individuals that appeared in the bee colony towards the end of August or in autumn live longer. They are called winter bees, their life span is calculated in months. In autumn, they feed on stocks, pollen.
There is no brood in the bee colony in winter. In winter, worker bees eat normally, lead a quiet, contemplative life. By spring, at the time of the appearance of eggs, they retain a fatty body, perform the work of nurse bees in the bee colony. They do not survive until the summer, they die out gradually.
How long does a queen bee live
Without a queen, a full life in a bee colony is impossible. Its life expectancy is longer than that of drones and worker bees. Physiologically, she can mate and lay eggs for 4-5 years. Centenarians are found in strong bee colonies. The uterus remains productive for a long time if it is well guarded and richly fed.
Most often, queens live in a bee colony for 2-3 years. After this time, the body of the mother individual is depleted due to the large number of clutches. When productivity drops, the number of eggs laid decreases, the bee family replaces the queen with a younger individual. A retired hive queen lives less than 5 years.
How long does a drone live
In bee colonies, drones hatch closer to summer. Having reached the age of 2 weeks, they are ready to perform their function – to fertilize the uterus. The lucky ones who get access to the queen’s body die immediately after the release of sperm.
Some of them die during the fight with other drones for the uterus. The surviving males of the bee colony still live in the hive for some time on full support. They are fed by nurse bees. When the period of honey collection comes to an end, the drones are expelled from the hive. In colonies of bees, where the queen died or became barren, a certain number of drones are left.
The collapse of bee colonies: causes
The first time a new disease was recorded by beekeepers in 2016. Bee families began to disappear from the hives. They called it CPS – the collapse of the bee colony. With CPS, a complete rally of bees is observed. Brood and food remain in the hive. There are no dead bees in it. In rare cases, a queen and a few workers are found in the hive.
The reason for the autumn rally of the bee colony can be various factors:
- prolonged, warm autumn, the presence of a bribe in September;
- a large number of bee colonies in the wintering place;
- reduction in nest size in preparation for winter;
- varroa mite.
This is a list of possible reasons for the gathering of bee colonies, even scientists do not have exact data. According to many beekeepers, the main reason for the gathering of bee colonies is a tick and the lack of timely anti-tick treatment. It is assumed that insects in the bee colony are affected by a new generation of mobile communications (3G, 4G).
Conclusion
A strong bee family is distinguished by high productivity, strong offspring, and longer life expectancy. Less effort and money is spent on its maintenance than on a weak bee colony. The guarantee of a strong bee colony is a productive young queen, a sufficient amount of food reserves, a warm hive well stocked with combs.
