The work of bees: everything you need to know about beekeeping! At the heart of our ecosystems, a never-ending work is being done. A work of capital importance for the survival of many plant species, for the pollination of crops, and for the production of honey. This never-ending work is the fruit of the bees' labor, and it is at the heart of beekeeping.
Bees have long intrigued researchers and nature lovers. They are distinguished by their individual and collective intelligence, a characteristic that is fully revealed in the life of the hive, and which we will explore in this article.
Communication at the heart of the hive
For a bee colony, communication is key to organization. Bees have developed chemical communication based on the emission of pheromones. These chemicals are "read" by other bees through membrane receptors located on their antennae. A worker bee has about 65,000 sensory cells on its antennae, while a male has only 30,000. These antennae, true multisensory organs, capture taste, smells, and even sensations of touch. Bees also use physical contact to communicate.
A well-known form of communication is dancing. Foraging or exploring bees dance to convey vital information to bees remaining in the hive. This dance indicates the distance, direction, and quality of the nectar and pollen source.
Another form of communication is song. Virgin queens emit vibratory sounds at certain stages of their life. Most often, these songs signal their presence to the colony. If other virgin queens respond to the call and there are many of them, the first virgin queen may decide to leave the hive to form a new swarm, thus avoiding competition. If the other virgin queens are few or have not yet hatched, the existing queen may kill them. Workers may also emit songs to guide the swarm to a new installation site.
The central role of the queen
From the moment she is born, the future queen of a bee colony shows her fighting temperament, because a colony only tolerates one queen at a time.
When several larvae manage to hatch, a real fight begins. Only the strongest survives, thus obtaining the right to rest for three days before undertaking her nuptial flight, an essential step for her fertilization. During this flight, the queen mates with several males, but this process costs them their lives. Back in the hive, the queen meticulously deposits the eggs in the cells. In the spring, she can lay more than 2,000 eggs each day. The worker bees feed her and manage her waste to ensure her health. To easily identify her, many beekeepers mark the queen with indelible ink.
Each cell intended to house a female bee contains a fertilized egg, while the cells intended for male bees contain unfertilized eggs. The queen maintains her ability to lay fertilized eggs for about four years. At the end of this period, she can no longer reproduce and lays only male eggs, because she has not been recently fertilized. Faced with this situation, the colony prepares a new queen to replace her. The aging queen, no longer productive, is removed and exiled, accompanied by a few devoted bees.
The various functions of worker bees
Worker bees, which make up about 90% of a hive's population, live 30 to 45 days and perform a variety of specific tasks throughout their lives.
- From 1 to 3 days of life, they clean the hive.
- From the 3rd to the 9th day, they feed the larvae and close the cells containing larvae.
- From the 9th to the 12th day, they receive the pollen brought by the foragers and deposit it in the alveoli.
- From the 12th to the 18th day, they build and repair the combs.
- From the 7th to the 21st day, they ventilate the hive by beating their wings at the entrance.
- From the 15th to the 25th day, they ensure the safety of the hive by preventing access to foreign bees.
- From the 22nd day until the end of their life, they become foragers, leaving the hive to collect nectar and pollen. Worker bees have the ability to memorize the location of the hive before moving away for their harvests.
The males
The male, also called a drone, is distinguished by its eyes, which are twice as large as those of worker bees and queens. However, it is excluded from nectar and pollen collection activities, and it lacks defense mechanisms. For example, males have neither wax glands nor pollen baskets on their legs, and they lack a stinger.
Males represent only 2% of the hive population. The key role of the male lies solely in his work in fertilizing the queens. Males are born in the colonies in early spring and are expelled from the hive in early fall or as soon as the colony loses its queen. Bees consider that at the start of winter, males are extra mouths to feed while they have no useful role within the hive.
Beekeeping
The harvest
Honey harvest dates vary depending on the region and weather conditions. In France, the queen begins laying eggs in early autumn to prepare the colony for winter. The bees spend the winter in the hive feeding on their honey reserves. In the spring, as soon as temperatures exceed 12°C, they go out to forage, the queen resumes laying eggs, and the colony grows, starting to produce honey. The harvest takes place in June, July and August, at the rate of production.
Honey production is a meticulous process. Once the honey is extracted from the hives, it is usually decanted to remove impurities. Then, it is stored in airtight containers to prevent it from crystallizing too quickly. Crystallization is a natural process that occurs when honey is cooled, but it does not affect its quality. The honey is then ready to be enjoyed or sold.
The beekeeper
The beekeeper plays a crucial role in the preservation of bees and the production of honey. He watches over the colonies, ensuring that they are healthy and well-fed. He extracts honey from the hives using methods that preserve the hive and its inhabitants. The beekeeper may also divide the colonies to create new colonies and increase the number of bees.
In addition to producing honey, beekeeping contributes to the preservation of biodiversity and the pollination of crops. It also creates local jobs and contributes to the agricultural economy. In addition, beehive products such as royal jelly and propolis have diverse uses, from making candles to preparing natural beauty products.
Awareness and protection of bees
However, bees face many threats, including pesticides, disease, habitat loss, and climate change. These factors have contributed to the decline of bee populations worldwide. Raising awareness about the plight of bees and the importance of their conservation has become essential. Beekeepers, environmentalists, and governments around the world are working to implement measures to protect bees, including banning certain harmful pesticides. Each of us can also do our part by planting honey-producing flowers in our gardens and supporting local beekeepers.
Bees remind us of the importance of preserving their habitat and protecting them for the good of our planet. Beekeeping is much more than just harvesting honey. It is a partnership between man and bees, an example of cooperation that benefits both nature and the human race. Bees, through their tireless work, remind us how fragile biodiversity is. Protecting bees is a cause that concerns each of us, because it has an impact on our food, our environment and our well-being. So, let's take care of our bees!
If you want to know more about the uses of honey created by our little bees, click on this article .
