2. Bees on the tree of life Bees: 100 million years old Flowers: 160 million years old Hymenoptera (social insects) beesants wasps socialsolitary bumblebees carpenter bees

3. Life Cycle 1)Egg (3 days) Queen drops single egg into cell After three days hatches into larva 2) Larva (6-9 days) Fed abundantly for 6-9 days Cell is then capped for for pupation 3) Pupa (7-12 days) Living on fat reserves, larvae spin a cocoon and pupate Metamorphose into newborn bees that chew away cap

5. Life Cycle

6. Honey bees are eusocial (truly social) Eusociality: a sterile caste (workers) rears young and cares for one or more reproductive castes (queen and drones) In bees: – Workers = all female – Drones = males – Queen = only reproducing female European honey bee = Apis mellifera

7. Different Roles

8. Identification

9. Worker Roles 1) Nurse bees Feed larvae and newborn bees 2) Attendants Follow the queen to feed, groom, and protect Spread queen pheromones around the hive (the scent keeps bees on task) 3) Undertakers Remove dead bees from hive

10. Worker Roles 4) House Bees Remove debris from hive Seal spaces with propolis Clean cells Store and cure honey Build new comb 5) Guard Bees Attack hive intruders, dying in the process 6) Foragers Scout for and collect nectar, pollen, water, and propolis

11. DRONES -Male bees -A minority in the hive -Only exist to mate with the queen -They spend all day flying around the hive unless there is a virgin queen to fertilize -If they mate with the queen, they die immediately after -Often they are kicked out of the hive for winter where they die of exposure or starvation

12. QUEEN 1 queen bee per hive Mating flight Stays in hive, lays about 2,000 eggs per day Can choose gender of eggs Created by hive with royal jelly Fight to the death Supersedure when pheromones diminish

13. Queen Mating Flight

14. BEE STINGS—don’t worry about it! -Drones don’t have stingers -Worker bees have barbed stingers -Queen bees have smooth stingers -Bees are not aggressive like wasps -They only string if they perceive a threat to the hive

15. Communication

16. Bee communication by dance round dance Food nearby waggle dance Food far away …

17. How the dance works 30°