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People have been using a variety of bee products since ancient times. At the present stage of human development, beekeeping is one of the most popular and promising branches of animal husbandry. The honey bee lives according to a strict hierarchy, is considered a symbol of hard work. In order to effectively engage in beekeeping, it is necessary to know all the subtleties of breeding, the structure of the bee family and the features of caring for the hives.
Features of the structure of honey bees
The honey bee, as you can see in the photo, has three main body parts:
- head;
- chest;
- abdomen.
On the head of a honey insect there are 2 simple and 3 compound eyes, a jaw, a proboscis and glands that produce pheromones.
In the thoracic region there are attachment points for two large and two small wings. The flight speed of the honey plant is up to 25 km / h. Also in the thoracic region there are 6 legs.
In the abdomen there is a poisonous gland, directly a honey fence, wax glands, as well as glands for the production of odorous substances.
The main difference between domestic honey bees and wild ones is their size. Wild relatives are often smaller. The color is also different – wild species are less bright and even completely gray specimens are found.
But wild individuals have much stronger immunity, and they are more industrious. Savages also show aggression more often than tamed insects.
The structure of the bee colony and the division of duties
The bee family consists of three types of individuals:
- workers;
- drones;
- uterus.
Life expectancy, responsibilities and even the appearance of different family members are radically different.
Queen or honey bee queen. Unlike other individuals, it has a smooth sting, which is used as a reusable tool. This is a large insect up to 22 cm in size. The life expectancy of the uterus is up to 7 years. The role of the queen in the family is to replenish the hive with brood and increase the family. The queen leaves the hive only during the swarming period. Once a month, the queen lays 1500 eggs. During her life, the honey queen is able to lay 3 million eggs.
Workers. This is the base of the hive. They feed the offspring, drones, and also clean the hive. The number of working copies in the summer can reach 70000 per hive. All workers are descended from a single queen.
Drones. Drones have no sting. These are males of large size, which are engaged only in the fertilization of the uterus. There are more drones in the offspring than is necessary for the life of the hive. Therefore, most of them are expelled from the family.
There are also hive bees. These are young individuals that work exclusively inside the hive. They build combs, feed the offspring, maintain a normal temperature, provide ventilation and cleaning the nest. They also process nectar into honey in the hives. The age of hive individuals is up to 20 days.
Life cycle of honey plants
The life cycle directly depends on the purpose of the bee. The queen lives 7 years, the drone – 5 weeks, the working honey plant – 8 weeks.
The larvae are fed by worker bees for 6 days. After that, the larva in a special cell is sealed with wax, where it pupates.
After 12 days, an imago appears – a young individual, which differs from an adult honey plant in soft body covers. Her main duty is to clean the hive and fulfill “household obligations”.
The young individual begins to collect nectar only after 15 days. At the same time, in the early days, she does not fly far, with each flight, increasing the distance.
If several queens appear in the hive, swarming inevitably occurs and the family breaks up. A new swarm seeks shelter for several days, and at this time they live in trees.
Popular breeds of honey bees
Domestic honey bees have several breeds. Breeders have bred varieties that differ in size, color, disease resistance and the amount of honey they bring.
Most popular breeds:
- Ukrainian steppe. Small size, yellow color and lack of aggression. Perfectly endure winter, have high resistance to diseases. During the season they bring up to 40 kg of honey from the family.
- European dark honey bee. Bees of a dark shade with a small proboscis. Individuals are large, honey makes a light shade. Among the minuses, slight aggression and irritability are noticeable.
- Carpathian. Gray individuals with a complete lack of aggression. Insects are resistant to disease and cold. Often there is swarming, which contributes to rapid reproduction.
- Italian. A bee with low productivity compared to other breeds, but at the same time it perfectly destroys harmful insects around the hive. The honey plant of this breed is distinguished by cleanliness.
Each beekeeper selects the optimal breeds of honey plants for himself. Many focus on productivity, but disease resistance and the ability to endure winter are equally important qualities.
The most honey bee breed
Most specialists for beekeeping consider the Central variety of honey plants to be the best in terms of productivity. First of all, the advantage of this variety is its winter hardiness and endurance. Central honey plants make their first overflights already at a temperature of + 4 °C.
The most productive breed is considered due to the ability to bring up to 50 and even 70 kg of honey from one family per season. At this time, the uterus begins to lay fewer eggs, so as not to interfere with the working honey plants to stock up.
Features of the content
The honey bee in beekeeping requires special care and maintenance. Obtaining high-quality honey is the work of not only a bee, but also a beekeeper. There are nuances that should be considered when creating an apiary. Especially if there is no experience in beekeeping before.
Where to locate the apiary
The apiary should be located in a place where the most natural living conditions are created.
It is optimal if there are forests and meadows next to the apiary. Do not put beehives next to the river. In windy weather, bees can die in the river, extracting honey from the other side.
The best option is an orchard, as the trees will protect the hives from the wind and provide bee colonies with nectar when flowering.
How to arrange hives
The hives should be located at a distance of 4 m from each other. Between the rows – 6 m. A high-quality hive will help increase the productivity of the bee colony.
The hive can be made independently or purchased at a specialized store. The design of the hive can be horizontal and vertical. At the same time, the vertical hive has the possibility of arranging up to 14 tiers. A horizontal one is convenient in that it can be expanded if necessary.
Frames can be rectangular or square. Hives should be made from soft wood.
In the summer, a lying hive accommodates a full-fledged family. In winter, even 2 families can live in such a hive. Be sure to take care of the presence of a watering place, since honey plants drink with pleasure in the heat.
To prevent the hive from overheating in summer, it is better to paint it in light colors or white.
Features of care
The most difficult period is spring. At this time, the beekeeper has a lot of trouble. It is important to strengthen the family of bees and follow the swarm.
- After wintering, you need to inspect the hive. It must be dry, clean and warm.
- For one family, there should be reserves of 8 kg of honey and 2 frames of bee bread.
- In the spring, it is imperative to lay new combs, feed insects, and breed new queens.
Summer activities for swarming bees:
- Gently pull the swarm out after landing.
- Leave the net with the swarm in a dark room for a couple of hours.
- If the bees have not calmed down during this time, there is no queen in the swarm or there are two of them.
From June to August, honey plants collect nectar and pollen. The free space must be covered with foundation so that the bees do not engage in construction, but can devote themselves entirely to preparing honey.
In August, the beekeeper needs to take care of preparing for the winter.
In autumn, the quality of honey is checked and its reserves are estimated. For a good wintering, it is recommended to feed the bees with sugar syrup.
The humidity of the hive should be 80%. The optimum temperature for wintering is up to + 4 °С. Also, during the winter, care must be taken to ensure that there is no bright light and noise in the apiary.
wild honey plants
Wild honey bees settle in hollows of trees, in crevices, land tunnels. Under natural conditions, wild bees are distinguished by aggression towards humans. But otherwise, they are completely similar to tamed honey bees. Undomesticated honeybees perfectly tolerate even the most severe winters with temperatures up to -50 °C.
Wild bee honey is an extremely useful product. But you need to collect it very carefully. At the same time, it is important not to take more than 1/3 of the reserve from the wild hive so that the family does not die during wintering.
If a family of wild bees settled near a human dwelling, they cannot be destroyed. It will damage the entire ecosystem. It is enough just to contact a specialized service, which will come and, with the help of bait, move a swarm of bees away.
Conclusion
The honey bee has been known to man since ancient times. The beekeeping was the same trade as hunting and fishing. Honey is the most valuable product of beekeeping, but besides this, bees provide people with wax, propolis, bee bread and bee milk. Modern man does not need to look for honey from wild bees. It is enough to have honey-bearing insects in your own apiary. All you need is a desire and a little knowledge.