1. Session 3 – The Colony Sat 22 nd /Sun 23 rd March 2014

2.  Nigel Hurst  3 yrs beekeeping  Hives in garden

3.  Individuals  Division of labour  Superintelligence

4. 1 queen ~60,000 workers ~2000 drones but in winter ~10,000 workers 1 queen 0 drones Courtesy of Clive de Bruyn

6. Main nectar flow

10. Days

11. Ex: Biology of the Honeybee by Mark Winston NB: Worker and drones are laid in cells that are approximately horizontal whereas queens are laid and developed in cells that hang downwards

12.  0 - 6 dayscell cleaning, general hive cleaning  3 - 9 daysfeeding the brood  3 - 15 daysattending the queen  6 - 18 dayshoney processing  12 - 20 dayswax production and comb building  15 - 25 dayshive ventilation  18 - 35 daysguard duty  20 days - deathnectar collection  20 days - deathpollen collection  25 days - deathwater & propolis collection

13.  Summer bees  Up to 2000 a day  6 weeks (3 weeks outside of hive)  Exhaustion  Die away from colony  Winter bees  About 20 a day  Up to 6 months  Disease and old age  Adaptation