Getting To Know The Honeybees

There are around 20,000 bee species, and out of these, honey bees are the ones kept and managed in artificial beehives for two purposes: honey production and pollination. Human management of honeybees is called beekeeping or apiculture. Some people keep an apiary where they maintain several beehives, while others are hobbyists and only have a few. Because it is an interesting activity and, at the same time, a source of extra income, beekeeping is increasingly becoming popular. But beekeeping, like any other activity, requires extensive knowledge because although honeybees are easier to maintain than other bee species, they need careful attention. In fact, the success of beekeeping lies in the beekeepers solid knowledge of the bees behavior and biological processes.

Honeybees are social insects, meaning they thrive in big groups and have specific tasks for each type. There are three types, also called castes, of honeybees: drone, worker, and queen. Drones are male honeybees whose primary function is to help in brood (young bees) production. They mainly stay in the hive and get out when they mate with queens in the air. During spring and summer, it is estimated that one colony has 500 drones. Workers, on the other hand, are female bees and have a count of about 2,000 to 60,000 per colony. They are responsible for cleaning the cells, guarding the hive and forage, feeding larvae, taking care of the brood, aiding in air circulation through wing-flapping, and processing honey and beeswax. Workers produce royal jelly, an excretion they feed to a female larva they intend to be the next queen when the existing queen dies or flies off with almost half of the colony's workers to form a new colony, called swarming. When the queen leaves, the young queen takes her place. The queen produces pheromone, a secretion that regulates the behavior and activities of honeybees and prevents disease outbreaks. She mates with many different drones and comes back to the hive to lay eggs. In the spring, she can produce around 2,000 eggs a day, and 1,000 to 1,500 during foraging season. There is only one queen in every colony.

Honeybees feed on pollen, their source of protein, and nectar, their source of carbohydrates. They have long proboscis, or tongue, to enable them to suck nectar from flowers. This nectar is then processed into honey and stored in comb cells as surplus to help them through the winter, when pollen and nectar production stops and food is scarce. It is the excess or surplus honey that people harvest.

Honeybee sting is painful, which gives it its stereotype as a dangerous insect. Although it can cause swelling and redness, bee sting is usually not dangerous in itself. It can cause breathing difficulties and may be fatal to people allergic to bee stings. Before embarking into beekeeping, therefore, it is important to first consider sting tolerance.

Bees are interesting creatures whose activities and behavior are remarkably amusing. Humans will forever benefit from their existence because of their pollination functions and, of course, their sweetest contribution honey.