1. Insect Behavior
It’s the bees’ knees!

2. COMMUNICATION
Pheromones – chemical scent ant -leave trail, attract mates, etc.
Sound – chirping, buzzing, etc cricket
Light – flashes firefly

3. HONEYBEE BEHAVIOR Social insects – live in colonies
Innate behavior – genetic behavior, not learned

4. Worker Bees Sterile females Lifespan – 6 weeks
Feed royal jelly to larvae and queen
Gather nectar and pollen
Sting to protect hive (dies after stinging)

5. Worker bee

6. Queen Bee Fed LOTS of royal jelly as larva
Queen factor – pheromone queen secretes that prevents other larvae from becoming female queen
REPRODUCE – mates once, can lay millions of eggs over 5 years
Hive overcrowded, queen leaves with half of hive

7. Queen Bee
Lifespan – 1-5 years

8. Drone Male bees Mate with queen Only few hundred in hive at one time
Stingless

9. Drone

10. Bee Dances
Round dance – circle right, circle left -told bees food source was near
Waggle dance- waggled side to side -told bees food was far

11. Altruistic behavior – help others at the cost of yourself (stinging)

12. Nectar put into cell in comb, bees fan nectar with wings to evaporate water and make honey
FYI – HONEY – field bee passes nectar to house bee – tongue to tongue
Cover cell with wax