1. DBKA - Tiverton Branch
Introduction to Beekeeping Session Two – The Colony Tutor - Derek Evans

2. Pub quiz – BEEKEEPING section!
How fast do bees fly? (m.p.h. please!)
What is their top speed?
What is usually the maximum distance bees fly from their hive? (miles please!)
How many bees does it take to make a teaspoon of honey?
How many times around the world would a bee have to travel to make 1 lb of honey?

3. THIS SESSION: We will look at
1. Who makes up ‘The Colony’?
2. What are the Individual Life Cycles of The Colony?
3. What are the jobs of the bees?

4. 1. Who makes up ‘The Colony’?
2. How many?

5. 1. Who makes up the colony?

7. RECAP 1. Head 2. Thorax 3. Abdomen
1. Hypopharyngeal gland – initially to produce royal jelly 2. Wax gland 3. Sting gland 4. Hypopharyngeal gland – evolves further to produce enzymes to process nectar into honey 5. Nasanov gland – attraction scent during swarming

8. Head of a bee 1. Eyes 3 Ocelli eyes react to light & movement
2 Compound eyes
Queen 3,000 – 4,000 facets
Worker 4,000 – 6,900 facets
Drone 7,000 – 8,600 facets
2. Antenna - taste,touch,smell
3. Mandible - jaws
4. Proboscis - tongue

9. How many in The Colony? Queen – 1 1 Worker – 60,000 10,000
Summer Winter
Queen –
Worker – 60, ,000
Drone –
Summer
5,000 – 7,000 eggs
7,000 – 11,000 larvae being fed
16,000 – 24,000 larvae pupating into adults in sealed cells

10. Number of bees in The Colony

11. Queen Queen hatches from a fertilised egg
On her mating flight she mates with up to 20 Drones (Drones then die)
Her temperament affects the whole colony
Pheromone(or queen substance) informs colony all is well
30 minutes for a colony to realise that she is missing

12. She lays almost 2,000 eggs a day in summer, nearly zero in winter
Queen attendants(workers) – feed, encourage her to lay, grooming, remove her excrement
Can only sting another queen
She can live 2 to 5 years

13. Drone - (male) Drone hatches from an unfertilised egg
Sole job is to mate with a virgin Queen
Drone Congregation Area
Drones do not have a sting
Fed by worker bees
Not loyal to one colony
In early Autumn, all the Drones are evicted and die!

14. Worker – (all female) Worker hatches from a fertilised egg
6 weeks in the summer
6 months in winter
Sting - defence mechanism to protect the colony
Work until they die – more to follow after the coffee break!

15. 2. Individual Life Cycles Developmental stages

16. Individual life cycles
Queen Worker Drone ________Days_________
Egg stage
Larva stage
Pupa stage
_________________________________________
Adult stage days days days

17. Who gets the jelly ? Days 3- 6 all larvae are fed same Royal Jelly
Day 7 only Queen larvae continue to be fed Royal Jelly until capped on day 8.5
Day 7 Worker and Drone larvae fed ‘brood food’ until capped on day 9 & 9.5
Larvae are fed about 1,300 times/day!

18. What is Royal Jelly and Brood Food?
Secreted from the hypopharyngeal gland of the worker
Mixture of pollen(protein), nectar (24% carb), enzymes, amino acids
Brood Food/Bee Bread:
Gathered & stored in cells
Mixture of pollen(protein), nectar (12% carb), yeasts

19. Larvae in Royal Jelly

20. Brood Food/Bee Bread

21. Stages 1 and 2 - Eggs & Larvae

22. Stage 2 and 3 – Larvae & Pupae

23. Stages 1, 2 & 3 Egg Larvae Pupae

24. Brood Frame

25. Queen emerging from the Queen cell

26. Worker cells - Drone cells - Honey

27. Worker bees Hatching

28. Pub quiz - answers Bees usually fly at Top speed is They rarely fly
It takes the life of
5. To produce 1 lb
about 12 mph nearly 22 mph more than 3 miles from the hive 12 bees to make a teaspoon of honey twice around the world

29. then we’ll consider the bees’ lifestyle and how it develops
Let’s take a break
then we’ll consider the bees’ lifestyle and how it develops

30. 3. What are the jobs of a worker bee?
Life of a worker bee can be divided into:
Hive/House Bee – first 3 weeks
Field Bee – second 3 weeks

31. HIVE BEES – Welfare Department
Hatching
Nurse bees
Cleaning the cells
Undertaker bees
Queen & her attendants
HIVE BEES – Welfare Department

32. HIVE BEES - Processing Department
Pollen packing
Nectar packing
HIVE BEES - Processing Department

33. HIVE BEES - Processing Department
Processing nectar
Propolising
HIVE BEES - Processing Department

34. HIVE BEES - Security & Construction Department
Guard bees
Wax production
HIVE BEES - Security & Construction Department

35. HIVE BEES – Security & Construction Department
Cell building
Cell capping
HIVE BEES – Security & Construction Department

36. HIVE BEES - Security & Construction Department
Ventilation Engineers
HIVE BEES - Security & Construction Department

37. Temperature and bees Min inside temp exist Min outside temp to fly
Min temp to open hive
Temp inside brood nest
Combs collapse
8° C
10° C
15° C
35° C
47° C

38. FIELD BEES - Foraging
foraging pollen
Foraging Nectar
Nectar
Pollen

39. FIELD BEES - Foraging
Propolis
Water

40. Why do worker bees collect water?
Dilute stored nectar for feeding
Maintain humidity & temperature in the hive

41. What is propolis?
Resinous sticky gums and balsams from various plants and trees. Common sources are :- Alder, Birch, Cherry, Peach, Plum, Conifers, Hazel, Horse Chestnut, Oak, Poplar & Willow
Resins mixed with salivary enzymes, wax, other foreign materials such as wax moth scales, hive litter and organic debris. Approx. recipe is 50% resins & balsams, 30% wax, 10% essential oils, 5% pollen & 5% organic debris

42. Recap

43. Swarming

44. Daily Chores Hive Bees
WELFARE DEPT.
Hatching
Nurse Bees
Cleaning Bees
Undertaker Bees
Queen attendants
PROCESSING DEPT.
Pollen packing
Nectar packing
Processing nectar
Propolising

45. SECURITY & CONSTRUCTION DEPT.
Guard Bees
Wax production
Cell building
Cell Capping
Ventilation Engineers

46. Field Bees
FORAGING DEPT.
Pollen
Nectar
Propolis
Water

47. Tonight we have looked at -
The make up of ‘The Colony’ - WHO’s WHO
The Individual Life Cycles - EGG TO HATCH
The jobs bees do HATCH TO DISPATCH

48. The hive and its components
next session
The hive and its components