Social insects: Bees

There are over 10000 different species of bees. Many species lead solitary lives while other species show a high level of social organisation. The honeybee colony lives in a hive which is often constructed in a hollow tree. The colony has only one queen whose function is to lay eggs in the hexagonally shaped wax cells in the centre of the hive.

The workers are all sterile females. Their functions are to feed and care for the larvae, build, clear and guard the hive and search for food. The workers change their jobs according to their ages.

Johnny's Fact File No.58 Fossil bees have been found preserved in amber. These fossils date back 50000 years.

The worker bees feed the larvae on royal jelly, a food rich in protein and vitamins, for the first three days and then on beebread, which is a mixture of pollen and honey.

The queen bee produces a chemical which is licked off her body by the attending workers. This chemical is passed from worker to worker in their saliva. If the queen dies, the workers react to the loss of the queen substance by making special cells around some of the younger larvae. These larvae are fed entirely on royal jelly until they pupate. Worker bees will also produce special queen cells when the old queen is about to leave the hive in a swarm.

The first young queen to emerge from her cell kills the other developing queens by stinging them. Then she leaves the nest and takes to the air chased by the drone bees.

The drone's only function is to mate with the young queen.

Social Insects: Bees (continued)

• Interdependence of Living Things : Introduction
• Groups which show social behaviour
• Social Insects : Ants
• Social Insects : Termites
• In conclusion
• Chapter Summary (useful for revison)
• Questions relating to this chapter
• Top of Page