Before explaining how bees reproduce, it is necessary to know the types that exist, since they are organized in a well-defined society in which each individual fulfills specific functions.
These are the types of bees :
Queen bee
The queen bee is the hive matriarch and mother of all the bees that form it It is the female fertil , so only she reproduces.But how does a bee become queen? When they are still larvae, certain bees are selected and reared in larger vertical cells compared to those used for worker bees.
When it goes from larva to pupa, the bee devours its cell to leave , after which she faces other possible queen bees to determine who will be the leader of the hive.The queen bee lives between 3 and 5 years and constantly releases pheromones that help her control the activities of the beehive.
The queen bee is distinguished by being larger and longer than the rest, it shows developed myu ovaries and a pointless stinger.
Drone bee
Drones are the only hive males , their task is to fertilize the female for reproduction.Faster males are preferable, as the result will be slaughtered and fast bees.Males come from unfertilized eggs, so their participation in the mating ritual is crucial.worker bejas.
The drone bee is able to reproduce 24 days after hatching and can visit several honeycombs, trying to mate with the largest number of queen bees possible.They are characterized by a rectangular body, large eyes and the lack of sting.Apart from participating in the reproduction, they fulfill some functions to keep the young warm and participate in the production of honey.
After fertilizing the bee Queen, the drone dies, because its reproductive device is detached.Those who survive, die outdoors, since they are not allowed to re-enter the hive.
Worker bee
This type of bee is found by thousands in each hive.They are all females and infertile .It takes 21 days to be born after the queen lays the fertilized eggs.Bees that time are born bees smaller than the mother and with stunted reproductive systems.Only in cases of sudden loss or death of the queen, to Some worker bees are able to lay eggs so that they are born drones.
They live between 75 and 120 days and fulfill various functions within the hive: they make honey, clean the cells, feed to the sisters who are in the larval state, they produce royal jalean (exclusive food for queen bees), they build the honeycomb, they store food, they protect the honeycomb and dehydrate the nectar.
The reproduction of these insects is full of curiosities about bees, since they have a fairly structured system to ensure perpetuation from the hive.The queen bee leaves the hive 5 days after leaving her cell and fighting with potential competitors.This is the only time she will leave the hive, her goal is to make the fertilization flights or nuptial flights .
For 3 days, the female will fly to mate with the different drones.The male's sexual organ is detached and the queen stores the sperm in a "tank" that contains her body, the spermatheca .There she is able to store up to 5 million sperm cells, the necessary ones to lay eggs for the rest of his life.
Once the mating period is over, the queen bee returns to the hive.After 5 days, she starts laying eggs, some fertilized (worker bees) and others without Fertilize (ditches).The mechanism used to fertilize some eggs and others not is currently unknown.In one day, the queen bee is able to lay 1500 eggs , so this is the most important task of his life.
Find out more in the life cycle of honey bees!
If the queen bee is healthy and young and has mated successfully, most of the eggs that will be fertilized, with the aim of increasing or maintaining the number of bees workers .These bees nest in smaller cells than the one used by the queen, where they are cared for by older workers who fulfill the role of nurses.
After 6 days, the worker becomes a larva and at 12 days in pupa, this is how bees are born .At 21 days, the pupa becomes an adult worker bee and begins to perform different functions within the hive.
The youngest ones are in charge of cleaning the cells, then they assume brain functions and are responsible for building panels and cells, and after reaching 21 days of adults they are able to leave the hive and r ecolectar pollen, nectar and water .Depending on the time of the year, you will live more or less days before being replaced by more worker bees, because bee breeding does not stop.
What would happen if there were no bees? We'll explain it to you!
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