C I T Y L I F E | R U R A L R O OTS
HONEYBEE BASICS
COLONIES: Honeybees live in colonies. These days, most bees live in manmade hives made up of boxes, placed atop one another. Wood frames are placed in these boxes. Frames usually include a plastic honeycomb foundation on which the worker bees can quickly and neatly build the comb. THE QUEEN BEE: The queen is the largest bee in the colony. A larvae becomes a queen bee when it is given “royal jelly,” a secretion from the glands on the heads of young worker bees. She emerges from her comb and mates with drone male bees whereupon she collects the sperm that will last her the rest of her two- to five-year life. Her sole purpose is to lay eggs – approximately 3,000 per day. DRONES: Male bees are called drones. They do not have a stinger. Their main function is to be ready to mate with a queen bee. WORKER BEES: Non-reproducing female bees are called worker bees. The duties they perform vary according to their age. Worker bees keep the hive running smoothly by feeding the queen and larvae, producing wax comb, protecting the hive entrance and keeping the hive cool by fanning their wings. As they get older they collect pollen and nectar for the hive. Worker bees are the smallest in the colony. During the busy season (spring and summer), their lifespan is about six weeks. Calvin holds a frame which has been extracted of its honey
Many of the foods we eat on a daily basis require the help of pollinators to produce. Pollinators include birds, bats, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, wasps, small mammals, and most importantly, bees. As they visit flowers in search of nectar, they transport pollen grains from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma. Some of the most common foods that require pollination include apples, blueberries, chocolate, coffee, melons, peaches, potatoes, pumpkins, vanilla and almonds. Calvin prepares to remove a frame from one of his hives
“Bees are fascinating creatures. The more you learn about them, the more amazing they become.” 86
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S U M M E R 2018