Working bees are who? What is the sex of working bees? The composition of the bee family

Working bees are such hive representatives who perform all tasks related to the collection and processing of nectar. However, this does not mean that other members of the family are idle or engaged only in that they absorb food. In fact, every representative in any hive is important, he plays his role, and without him, normal work will not work.

The composition of the bee family

The composition of the bee family and its features are unique within a single hive. But nevertheless there are some data that can be generalized. First, in each family there are three types of bees:

1. Uterus. This is a developed female, which is engaged in laying eggs. That is, she is responsible for increasing the number of bees.
2. Drones. These are males, the number of which reaches several thousand in one hive.
3. Working bees. These are undeveloped females engaged in collecting nectar and other works.

Secondly, in every hive everything is adjusted. There are several zones:

• Place for eggs, which the female lays.
• The place where the pupae rest until the baby hatches from them.
• The place where the reserves of honey and nectar are stored.

And, thirdly, the worker bees themselves are also subdivided by age. The young are sent for collecting nectar, the elders are engaged in its processing.

Uterus

The queen bee is often regarded as the mother of a large family, his mistress. In fact, this is true, but only partly. The only function of this female is the laying of eggs in honeycombs. With all the other tasks, including those vital, she can not cope.

To feed and clean various garbage and waste around the uterus is not able to. And the worker bees are in this case some servants. They are engaged in feeding, cleaning and sometimes even transferring the uterus from one section of the honeycomb to another.

Before the uterus starts its direct obligations, it examines the frame. If the worker bees have not cleared her enough, she will not lay eggs. Every year in early March, the uterus takes care of the new offspring. At best, it can put up to 1500 eggs a day. This is necessary in order to create a sufficient number of bees before the flowers begin to blossom. If this is not done, then the family will not gather enough honey and when the onset of cold weather can not feed, as a result of which it will die.

Sometimes the uterus dies, and then the worker bees lay eggs in the eggs, a few pieces. Of these honeycomb hatch, but survive only the strongest, often the one that was born before. When other uterus are born, the first starts to sting them, as they are her rivals. Only one mistress should remain in the hive. If you do not get rid of rivals, then the existence of the first is under threat.

Working bees

Working bees are females, but with undeveloped sexual functions. They are only able to make cells on honeycombs, they can not lay eggs. When such a bee is born, it immediately embarks on various duties directly inside the hive. She will carry out the work until she is quite grown up and ready to fly out of the hive for collecting nectar.

One can not give an unambiguous answer to the question of who are worker bees. Who are they in the hive? What kind of work do they do? It is possible to list only a few types of functions with which these representatives of the family are engaged:

• Cleaning the hive.
• Maintenance of the uterus.
• Removal of dead individuals outside.
• Keep the temperature inside the hive in hot and cold weather.
• Collection of nectar and pollen, its processing, the creation of honey.

This list can be continued indefinitely. In fact, working bees never die of old age. They are so worn out by physical labor that they are killed precisely because of this.

Drones

Despite the fact that there are many legends about the idle life of a drone, its existence can be called quite scanty. Moreover, in the process of fulfilling his direct obligations, he dies, like all bees that lose their sting.

The task of drone is not a flight to feeding and rest. He is responsible for the reproductive function, albeit indirectly. During the flight he needs to find an unfertilized uterus. After mating, a developed female literally pulls out his sexual apparatus. The result of this action is the death of the individual.

If the drone does not find the uterus for fertilization, then it will live normally until the frost begins. Then, since the hive must be clogged to protect itself from the cold, all individuals who do not perform any duties are simply taken out, where they are also expected to die. Working bees are at the same time peculiar executioners, since they will have to clear the families of additional and useless "hungry mouths".

Polymorphism of the bee family

Polymorphism is a long process of evolution, during which a division of labor between all individuals of the hive is formed. For example, the uterus has one specialization - laying eggs. She does not bear any more responsibility. While the family lives one womb, its features remain the same. This can be a specific smell, a method of collecting honey, winter hardiness, aggressiveness and other indicators important for the life of the family. Accordingly, if you replace the uterus, then the features will change.

Working bees are the basic structure of the hive. All activities related to the collection of nectar, care for the children, are performed only by them. They are exempted from the duty of procreation, because they simply can not do this. The reproductive system is not developed in them.

And the last representatives are drones. They are males, and their specialization is mating with the uterus. They do not do any more work.

It should be noted that each bee family will normally exist only under the condition of the full composition. If you remove at least some type of its inhabitants, then life will simply stop.

The birth and development of a worker's bee

Who are worker bees? What kind of individuals are in the hive, and what responsibility is assigned to them? To answer these questions, it is enough to look at the development of the bee, beginning with birth. So, they hatch from a female cage into which an egg was placed beforehand by the uterus. First they eat milk. In fact, its development is focused on the uterus, the baby feeds on what remains. On the third day the worker bee receives pollen.

On the eighth day of development of the larva, the older bees tighten the cage with wax. If this is not done, then not a working female will be born, but the uterus. Further within 12 days the pupa turns into a full-fledged bee.

After leaving the cage, the working bee immediately begins to work on its own. It can be cleaning the honeycomb, cleaning up the garbage, caring for the uterus and so on. On day 7 she is ready to fly out of the hive. Now work begins on the collection of nectar and pollen, every day several times the bee flies out in order to bring some food.

The only entertainment of the individual is the game circling around the area. Before you go for nectar, a young bee flies out at noon in order to frolic in the sun. It is believed that the more fun the young females play, the better is the uterus. For the rest of the time, the bee has to work hard all the time.

Separation of work in a hive

If we consider the interpretation of the term "worker bees" according to the principle of the division of labor, two main types can be seen. The first is intended for young females. It includes:

• Isolation of milk and wax
• Feeding.
• Care for the uterus.
• The structure of cells on the honeycomb.

All this is done by young bees, who still can not fly out of the hive. Their wings are not yet strong enough to travel long distances.

Senior bees perform work outside the hive. They bring nectar, water, pollen and so on. It should be noted that young bees will never perform the work of elders, and vice versa.

Features of honey bees

There are many books that will help, if the task is to master the apiary business, to find out what the uterus, drones and worker bees are doing. Beekeeping for beginners will be quite a difficult process, since you need to know a lot of features and nuances. For example, wax is the most ordinary sweat. But even to him industrious bees have found application.

Beginners find it difficult to understand how many bees are needed to survive the winter. The fact is that they are able to heat themselves, but only on condition that the number is sufficient.

It is also difficult for new beekeepers to imagine how a bee chooses its own from several beehives. And this is done because of the characteristic unique smell. Only occasionally does a bee fly into its own dwelling.

In short, before you break your apiary, you need to learn a lot of information, because the knowledge of all the subtleties and features will allow you to quickly establish production.

Conclusion

Given the gender of the worker bees, one should not forget about the main rule of any beehive. If at least one structure is lost, the composition of the family becomes incomplete, then it will not survive. If the working class is removed, drones and the queen will die because they can not feed themselves. If you get rid of the males, fertilization will not occur, and the offspring can not be born. The same will happen if you remove the uterus. Therefore, one should not underestimate the developed female and the drones, despite the fact that they perform a minimum of duties.