The kingdom of bees still arouses curiosity and excitement among people in general, and scientists in particular, as the mystery that no one has been able to decipher all its codes and reveal all its secrets still surrounds this unique kingdom.
The members of this kingdom are social creatures that can only survive within communities known as hives or colonies. They are governed by a unique system in which the queen serves as the head of the colony. The colony consists of a few hundred males and tens of thousands of female workers.
After the winter season, during which the colony removes the males and the number of worker bees decreases significantly, the bee colony prepares for the arrival of spring, which is one of the busiest seasons. The worker bees select one or more fertilized eggs and nourish them with (royal jelly) throughout their brooding period. The chosen larva undergoes a transformation from an ordinary worker bee into a potential new queen for the colony.
During this stage, drones (male bees) also reappear after being expelled from the colony in the autumn, where they meet their fate. Drones, specifically at this time, play a pivotal role in the continuity and development of bee colonies, which is the fertilization of the new virgin queen. A bee colony without fertilized eggs is destined to perish.
When a new virgin queen emerges, the mother queen sometimes voluntarily leaves the colony along with a group of drones and worker bees to establish a new colony. The new virgin queen initially receives no attention from its attendants, and she is not treated as the actual queen of the colony until she is fertilized by one or more mature sexually active drones. The drone becomes sexually mature between the eighth and the fourteenth day after emerging in the colony. The reproductive system of the drone is highly developed, consisting of testes, vas deferens leading to the seminal vesicles, and two accessory glands above them, which open into the ejaculatory duct, followed by the endophallus (copulatory organ). The testes of a drone can accommodate up to 2,000,000 sperm cells! All of this exists in this small creature, which measures about 17 millimeters in length and weighs approximately 250 milligrams.
During the first three days after emerging, the virgin queen embarks on short exploratory flights outside the colony before her anticipated mating. Once she reaches maturity, she secretes sexual pheromones that attract the drones. She then takes flight outside the colony, emitting a distinctive buzzing sound, signaling to the drones to be on high alert. The virgin queen takes off at her maximum speed, soaring through the air with her wings fully extended. The drones immediately pursue her, utilizing their excellent visual abilities to ensure they don’t lose track of her during the chase. This pursuit lasts approximately 30 to 40 minutes, during which weaker drones may drop out, leaving only strong and worthy candidates capable of mating with the virgin queen. Eventually, one drone manages to catch up with the virgin queen, grasping her between his legs and exerting pressure to immobilize her wings, causing them to fall together…! It is possible for multiple drones to successfully mate with the queen.
Upon the queen return to the colony, she is received by the worker bees in a manner befitting her royal status. They clean her, groom her, and feed her with royal jelly, which plays a vital role in the queen fertility and overall vitality. The newly mated queen then begins laying fertilized eggs after two to three days of the mating flight. This becomes her lifelong task, as she lays between 2,000 to 3,000 eggs per day. However, her fertility decreases as she ages, resulting in a decline in egg production. The queen bee produces two types of eggs: fertilized eggs that give rise to female bees, the worker bees, and unfertilized eggs that develop into male bees, the drones.
In addition to her crucial role in egg-laying, the queen bee also plays an essential role in managing and maintaining the cohesion of the colony through communication. She accomplishes this by secreting various pheromones that facilitate communication among the colony members. These pheromones serve as chemical signals that convey important information, such as marking the identity of the queen, maintaining social harmony, regulating the behavior of worker bees, and coordinating the overall functioning of the colony. The queen’s pheromones play a vital role in ensuring the smooth operations and unity of the bee colony.
The different types of Queen Bee pheromones and their function within the hive community.
- Queen Mandibular Pheromone (QMP) is one of the most important pheromones produced by the queen bee. It is primarily secreted from the mandibular glands of the queen and serves as a signal for her presence and reproductive status. QMP helps prevent the development of worker bee ovaries, suppresses the formation of new queens within the colony, and enhances the overall cohesion of the colony.
- The Queen Retinue Pheromone (QRP) is emitted by the queen bee when she moves throughout the colony. Worker bees form a retinue around her, attending to her needs. The retinue bees are responsible for grooming the queen and distributing her pheromones to the other members of the colony. This behavior helps maintain the queen’s dominance and influence. The QRP pheromone plays a crucial role in signaling the presence of the queen and ensuring her constant authority over the colony.
- Queen Dufour’s Gland Pheromones play a significant role in the reproductive behavior of honeybee queens. Located in the abdomen of the queen bee, the Dufour’s gland produces a blend of pheromones, including 9-oxo-2-decenoic acid (9-ODA). This particular pheromone acts as a long-range attractant for male bees during mating flights. The pheromones emitted by the queen help attract males and facilitate mating with her. The presence of Queen Dufour’s Gland Pheromones is vital for the successful reproduction and continuation of the honeybee colony.
- Nasonov pheromone, also known as the “site location” pheromone, is released by the queen bee to ensure communication between colony members, determine the identity of its members, and to convey the precise location of the colony’s entrance to the worker bees, primarily those bees that are out foraging for food. It helps in guiding and directing the bees to return accurately to the hive location. The queen bee transfers this pheromone to the rest of the colony members through the retinue bees. The worker bees store this pheromone in a gland located at the end of the abdomen on the dorsal side, and they release it by exposing the glands and fanning their wings to spread the scent throughout the hive entrance area. This pheromone is named after the Russian entomologist Ivan Pavlovich Nasonov.
- Queen Alarm Pheromone is released by queen bees during times of danger or disturbance. It is in the form of a pheromone (scent) that serves to alert other bees in the colony. This pheromone signals the presence of a threat and triggers defensive behavior in the worker bees to protect the hive.
- Queen Egg-Laying Pheromone is emitted by the queen bee while she is laying eggs, and it helps stimulate the worker bees to perform tasks related to brood care and maintenance. This pheromone plays a role in regulating the behavior and activities of the worker bees, ensuring the proper care and development of the offspring.
These are some of the pheromones produced by the queen honey bee. The complete number and types of pheromones secreted by the queen bee are not yet known, and scientists continue to update us with new information and discoveries.
Worker bees, also known as honeybee workers, are the most important and intelligent members of the colony. They make up the majority of the colony, with tens of thousands of individuals during periods of nectar abundance. They are responsible for most of the colony’s tasks, which are organized and structured according to their age. Due to their busy and strenuous activities, worker bees have the shortest lifespan in the colony, with an average lifespan of about 45 days. Their lifespan ranges from around 30 days in the spring and summer seasons to a few months in the winter season. Physiologically, a winter worker bee, with 60 days of age, is younger than a summer worker bee with 20 days of age.
Worker bees are produced from fertilized eggs and are sterile females. Their reproductive system is not fully developed, making them incapable of mating or laying fertilized eggs. Despite this, they possess some maternal traits that are not present in the queen, such as caring for and warming the brood, as well as feeding them. It is worth noting that some worker bees may lay unfertilized eggs, which give rise to drones only.
Here are some of the tasks performed by worker bees during different stages of their lives:
Driven by their instinct, worker bees begin their work from the very first day of their emergence in the colony. Despite their weakness and inability to feed themselves, they work to incubate the hexagonal eyes that contain the larvae, they provide warmth and maintain the appropriate temperature for the larvae’s development. They continue this task until the third day of their lives. During these three days, their older sisters feed them. It is a remarkable example of cooperation and collaboration among these creatures.
From the third day to the fifth day, the young worker bee is responsible for feeding the mature bee larvae with bee bread, which is composed of honey and pollen grains.
From the sixth day to the eleventh day, as a result of the worker bee’s consuming of abundant protein-rich food, her hypopharyngeal glands become active in producing royal jelly. She then feeds it to the queen bee. This age group of worker bees forms the royal retinue and royal guard. The retinue of bees regulates the queen’s behavior by controlling her feeding rate. They also serve as bee messengers by spreading queen pheromones throughout the colony. Additionally, the young broods that have not yet reached their third day are fed royal jelly. All bee larvae, regardless of their type, are exclusively fed royal jelly from the first day until the third day, except for the queen who continues to be fed with it throughout her lifespan. In just six days, the worker bee visits the broods approximately 7,850 times. Furthermore, worker bees engage in colony cleaning, maintenance, debris removal, and ensuring its cleanliness. Such incredible activity!
From the twelfth day to the twenty-first day, which is the middle-age stage, the tasks of worker bees within the colony become diverse, reaching up to 15 different tasks. When a worker bee reaches the age of 12 days, her hypopharyngeal glands, responsible for producing royal jelly, dry up. At this point, her wax glands, located on the lower sides of the abdomen, mature. The worker bees then start secreting the necessary wax for constructing and repairing wax cells. It’s worth noting that the bees’ ability to produce 1 kilogram of wax is equivalent to producing an average of 15 kilograms of honey! Wax is secreted in the form of scales. The worker bees collect the wax scales with their hind legs and transfer them to the front legs, then to their mandibles, where they excrete saliva containing enzymes that soften and knead the wax. They begin building hexagonal cells, and this group sustains this continuous work for approximately 20 consecutive hours. Then, another group replaces them until the required cells are constructed. From this point onward, the nutritional and therapeutic value of natural beeswax becomes evident! It’s truly remarkable to witness the honeybee’s skill in construction. Their architectural prowess and craftsmanship are showcased in the beauty, structural strength, speed of completion, and efficiency in material usage. The honeybee has designed the cells in a way that allows them to accommodate the maximum amount of bees with minimal wax consumption.
When the wax glands dry up, a group of worker bees takes on the task of guarding the entrance of the colony against attacking enemies such as robber bees, wasps, other insects, as well as lizards and mice.
The guard bees distinguish members of their colony by the specific scent provided by the queen to the colony (Nasonov pheromone). However, guard bees do not attack the males of other colonies if they enter during the mating season! Similarly, they do not attack foreign foraging bees if they calmly attempt to enter the colony.
But they fiercely defend the colony against its enemies, especially when attacked by robber bees, which can be distinguished while flying in front of the hive entrance, extending their legs forward and hesitating from side to side.
In this stage, the worker bees also function as receivers. They move to the entrance of the hive, where they receive their older sisters returning from their visits to flowers, carrying nectar and pollen. Their task is to carry and transform these substances into honey and bee bread.
They also work to keep the air inside the hive clean and constantly refreshed. They maintain a stable temperature within the hive throughout the year, ranging from 32 to 33 degrees Celsius. During hot summer days, the bees stand in lines at the hive entrance, vigorously fanning their wings to bring in cool air currents. Inside the hive, another group is busy expelling hot air to the outside. The fanning motion of the bees can reach up to 26,400 vibrations per minute. In winter, when the weather is cold, the bees gather together on the combs and increase their metabolic activity, raising their body temperature and consequently the temperature inside the hive. This requires them to consume the honey and bee bread they have produced and stored in order to perform this task. This highlights the importance of leaving a sufficient amount of honey and pollen for the bees to feed on, ensuring their survival and the strength of their colony.
Then, from day twenty-one until the end of her life, the worker bee begins to carry out field tasks outside the hive, and these worker bees are called forager bees.
After day twenty-one, the worker bee begins its first venture outside the hive by embarking on short exploratory flights. It flies in a circular pattern around the colony in order to orient it, identify landmarks, and survey the surrounding area. Then, it sets out on its journeys to collect nectar, pollen, propolis, and water until the final day of its short life.
Some individuals from this age group participate in guarding the entrance of the hive, while others are involved in receiving the food brought by the forager bees.
It is noticeable that there can be significant overlap between the age groups of worker bees participating in different tasks. When the age groups are not in a natural balance, bees of any age can perform the necessary work, but not with the efficiency that would be expected in their specific age stage.
Save The Bees… Save The Planet
BARARI… The Joy of Nature