Bees

(State that bees are important for honey production and pollination.)

Importance of bees

1. Pollination

2. Honey production

Pollination helps plants to develop seeds and reproduce. Examples of plants:

• Canola

• Tomato

• Cucumber

• Pumpkin

  • Most crops

Vocab specific to bees

(Define the following terms: apiary, hive, comb, brood, honey.)

Apiary a bee farm

HIve A colony of bees that inhabit a series of parallel combs

Comb A wax structure made by worker bees that contains hexagonal cells used to store 

Honey and house brood

Brood Cells containing bee eggs or larvae

Honey A food made from nectar which has been swallowed by the bees and condensed 

By evaporation

Roles

(State the sex of the three types of bees: worker, drone, queen.)

Bees live in a colony which has three kinds of bees

1. Queen bee: female fertile bee

2. Worker bee: infertile female bee

3. Drone: male bee

(List the roles of the worker bee as it matures.)

The role of the worker bees as it matures

1. Nurse bees: clean empty brood cells and feed larvae (3 days)

2. Repair and build new combs

3. Guard bees: protect the hive from intruders

4. Field bees: collect nectar and pollen

(State the role of the drone bee.)

Role of the drone bee

1. Mate with the queen bee

(List the features and roles of the queen bee.)

Role of the queen bee

1. The queen lays all the eggs for the hive

2. There is only one mature queen in a hive

3. Mating occurs only once and during the first week of adult life

Features of the queen bee:

• Larger abdomen (to hold developed reproductive system)

• Generally bigger.

(Outline how queen bees are raised.)

Queen bees are raised in a specially enlarged cell by nurse bees feeding large amounts of royal jelly to larva to develop reproductive organs fully.

(Describe a swarm.)

A swarm

When a queen bee leaves with a number of worker bees to form a new colony. 

The queen leaves because of overcrowding, seasonal changes, and genetic variations. Older queens are much more likely to swarm.

(State the role of the two foods eaten by bees: pollen and nectar)

Pollen: protein

Nectar: energy

Protein is used for growth and production of royal jelly.

Energy is used to do daily chores and evaporated to form honey.

Equipment

(Describe the use and functions of the following equipment: smoker, hive tool, uncapping knife, extractor.)

Smoker produce smoke to placate bees

Hive tool use to remove frames

Uncapping knife hot knife used to remove wax caps on honeycomb

Extractor spins honeycomb to extract honey

Hive

• At the top of the two-storey hive is where bees collect the honey from summer for winter

• In a hive, bees require at least 100kg of honey in a year

• To make sure there is no eggs in the top storey, there is a wire grid (queen excluder). Only worker bees can pass through, even with nectar

(State three reasons why honeycomb should not be discarded so as to allow access by bees.)

Reasons why honeycomb should not be discarded so as to allow access by bees

1. It is illegal and the person can be fined

2. It attracts outside bees which can spread disease

3. It encourages robbing by other bees

(State that hives should be placed in a warm north-east sunny position to keep the hives as warm as possible to minimise disease.)

Hives should be placed in a warm northeast sunny position to keep the hives warm and avoid disease.

(State the reasons why bees should be inspected regularly.)

Why bees should be inspected regularly

1. Identify any disease, treat and report to authorities if necessary

2. To ensure that there are enough extra frames for expansion in spring (take away frames in winter as bees like to huddle together to keep warm)

3. To ensure there is enough honey for the winter months

(State that hives are robbed once or twice a year, the main time being early summer.)

Hives are robbed once or twice a year, the main time being early summer.

Diseases

(Describe for American foulbrood disease (AFB): symptoms, cause, control measures.)

American foulbrood disease (AFB). It is caused by the bacterium Paenibacillus larvae.

Symptoms:

Infected brood becomes discoloured (lighter brown at first and then darker brown). Semi-fluids remains drawn out in a ropy thread 3-5cm long are discovered if a matchstick is thrust into a dead brood. Infected broods dry into a dark scale after a month. It sticks to the wall of the cell and removing it results in destruction of the cell. Cappings sink inwards and are moist, coloured purple or discoloured dark chocolate.

Advanced infections can be found when older larva or larva with mouthpieces are infected. Some cells may be punctured by bees trying to remove the remains and can be entirely removed. Once the cappings are removed and remain exposed, infection rates rise rapidly.

Cause:

Most common method of spreading is using contaminated equipment in healthy colonies. Colonies can also be infected by bees that consume contaminated honey. Healthy colonies can have AFB spores in their honey, which are only harmful when bees consume it.

Treat:

Burn and bury the equipment and hive. Report it to authorities (NSW DPI) or local apiary inspector.