Beverley
Beekeepers' Association
The
local Beekeeping Association for East Yorkshire
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Three Types of Bee
Honey
bees are a specific type of insect within the group
HYMENOPTERA - the ants, bees, and wasps. The common
European honey bee is
Apis mellifera.
There are several sub-species. There are three castes of
bee within the honeybee colony, they are:
Functions of the three castes within the colony
Worker
1
- 3 days Cell cleaning and brood incubation
4 - 6 days Feeding older larvae (honey and pollen)
7 - 12 days Feeding young larvae (brood food)
13
- 18 days Processing nectar into honey, wax making, water
evaporation, pollen packing.
19
- 21 days Guarding and starting to forage
22nd day + Foraging for nectar, pollen, water and propolis.
These times are only approximate, and older bees can revert
to their former duties should the need arise. Other duties
include housekeeping, ventilation, humidity and temperature
control.
Drone
1 - 11 days Mainly confined to the hive, only leaving for
cleansing flights
12
- 14 days Ready to mate (his sole function)
Autumn Evicted by the workers.
Queen
1 - 2 days Seeks out rivals and eliminates them.
3 - 5 days Orientation flights to locate the hive.
6
- 21 days Multiple mating flights with many drone partners.
3 - 4 days later she will commence egg laying.
22nd day + She remains in the hive for egg laying and
pheromone production.
At the height of the season the colony will contain: one
queen
approx 300 drones
60,000 workers.
Of these workers approximately only 20,000 will actually be
foraging at any one time.