Organisation and social life of bees

THE QUEEN BEE, THE DRONES AND THE WORKER BEES

The bees live in a organised society: the hive is organised in 3 levels: the queen bee, the drones and the worker bees.

THE QUEEN BEE

She is the most important bee of the hive. She lays down the eggs.

• She grows up in her royal cell.

• She is bigger than the other bees.

• She eats only royal jelly.

• She lives longer than the other bees (sometimes for 5 years).

• She uses the sting to kill the other queen bees just born in the hive.

Her mission is to lay down eggs; during the period of expansion she lays down 2000 eggs in one day. The queen bee goes out of the hive only for reproduction. Sometimes in the hive there are two queen bees, the weakest goes far away. As you can see from the picture, the queen bee is colored with a felt tip pen by the beekeeper.

THE DRONES

The drones are born by not fertilized eggs. The drones don't produce honey. The drones are bigger than worker bees, but smaller than the queen bee. At the end of the summer the worker bees chase away the drones. They are unecessary in winter, because they don't work for the subsistence of the colony. Their only task is to fertilize the queen.

THE WORKER BEES

They are the 90% of the bees of the hive. They take nectar, water, pollen, propolis and they defend the hive from the enemies and they keep the hive warm.

They are born from fertilizated eggs, but they can't reproduce. They live 2 months in summer and 6 months in winter. The bees are fundamental for the impollination of flowers and trees.