OVERVIEW - Honeybees Flashcards
What is the most common species of bee used in beekeeping?
Apis mellifera
What are the three honeybee castes?
Worker bee
Queen bee
Drones
Which substance is used to construct a honeybee nest?
Wax
How is wax produced by worker bees?
Wax is produced by the metabolism of honey with fat cells and secreted by wax glands on the ventral abdomen
What are the four substances stored in cells within bee hives?
Brood (eggs, larvae, pupae)
Nectar/honey
Pollen
Water
What are the three regions of the honeybee anatomy?
Head
Thorax
Abdomen
Honeybees have no internal skeleton. What do they have instead?
Honeybees have a series of hardened plates made up of chitin surrounded by a layer of wax
Why are honeybee’s hardened plates surrounded by a layer of wax?
Honeybee’s hardened plates are surrounded by a layer of wax to prevent dehydration
How many neurones are contained within the brain of a honeybee?
960 000 neurones are contained within the brain of a honeybee
How many ganglia do each neurone extend into to provide local control?
Each neurone extends into seven ganglia to provide local control
What are the two types of eye found in a honeybee?
Ocelli
Compound eyes
What is the main function of the ocelli?
The ocelli detect changes in light intensity
What is the function of the compound eyes?
Compound eyes are involved in more complex visual functions
What are the two main functions of honeybee antenna?
Olfactory sensitivity
Topochemical olfactory sensitivity
What is the name of the Honeybee glossa (tongue)?
Proboscis
How many segments are contained within the honeybee thorax?
Three segments within the honeybee thorax
How are the hindlegs of the worker bees specialised for pollen collections?
Outer surface of the tibia is equipped with a corbicula (pollen basket) and the surface area of the legs are increased by hairs and central bristles
How many segments are contained within the honeybee abdomen?
There are seven visible segments within the abdomen and two smaller segments for the worker bee stings and the reproductive organs in the drones and the Queen
What are the functions of the veins in bee wings?
The veins provide the wings with strength, heamolymph, air tubules and nerves
What are hamuli?
Hamuli are small hooks that allow the front and hind wings to act as one large surface and help the bee create greater lift when flying
What type of circulatory system do honeybees have?
Open circulatory system
What substance suspends the internal organs of the honeybee?
Haemolymph
Describe the flow of haemolymph throughout the body of the honeybee
Haemolymph flows through the heart, abdomen, thorax, aorta, head and spills into the rest of the body
What structure do honeybees have that act as their lungs?
Trachae
How are trachae connected to the external environment?
Trachae are connected to the external environment via spiracles
Describe briefly the digestive anatomy within a honeybee
The oesophagus extends from the mouthparts to the honey stomach/crop. Digestion/absorption occurs within the midgut with waste material passing into the rectum
Why does the honeybee rectum expand?
The honeybee rectum expands so the honeybees are not required to leave the hive when it is cold
What are the three glands found within worker bees?
Hypopharyngeal glands
Salivary glands
Nasonov glands
What is the main function of the hypopharyngeal glands?
Hypopharyngeal glands produce brood food
What are the main functions of the salivary glands?
Salivary glands dissolve sugars within the nectar and the secretions are also used to clean the Queen
What is the main function of the Nasonov glands?
Nasonov glands produce nasonov scent which is used for orientation
What is the main function of worker bees?
Worker bees are involved in all survival tasks except reproduction
What are the four main functions of young worker bees (1-10 days old)
Cell cleaning
Feeding the brood
Tending to the Queen
Capping cells with wax when larvae are about to develop into pupae
What are the four main functions of middle aged worker bees (10-20 days old)
Clean out mouldy pollen, old wax and dead bees
Pollen, nectar and resin handling
Comb construction
Ventilation
What are the two main functions of the older worker bees (20+ days old)?
Defending the hive (guard bees)
Foraging for pollen, nectar, water and resin
How do worker bees begin the process of breaking down nectar into honey?
Worker bees sip the regurgitated nectar from the mouthpieces of the foraging bees and transfer this to other worker bees. By doing this, this adds more enzymes from the honey stomach/crop to the nectar to achieve the breakdown of complex sugars into simple sugars (i.e nectar to honey)
What is the main function of drones?
Drones mate with virgin Queens
What are the three unique anatomical features which allow drones to detect and mate with a virgin queen?
Powerful flight muscles
Larger compound eyes
Sensitive antenna
What are drone congregation areas (DCA)?
Drone congregation areas (DCA) are areas in which drones fly to wait for the arrival of a virgin Queen
What are the three main functions of the Queen?
Mating
Laying eggs
Pheromone production
Which anatomical structure takes up the majority of the Queen’s elongated abdomen?
The elongated abdomen is taken up by two large ovaries containing thin tubules known as ovarials
What is the function of Queen pheromone production?
The Queen produces pheromones to regulate unity within the colony and to direct the workers to clean and feed her
Describe the process of the honeybee mating flight
When the Queen is sexually mature, she will fly to a drone congregation area (DCA) and use her pheromones to attract hoards of drones. Drones will mount the queen and evert their endophallous, propelling sperm into the oviduct at a force that causes the endophallous to rupture, killing the drone. The Queen will mate with multiple drones and return to the hive where she will use abdominal contractions to pump the sperm into the spermatheca
What are the two factors which determine if a drone egg is layed by the queen?
Drone eggs are unfertilised and laid within a large cell
What are the two factors which determine if a worker bee egg is layed by the queen?
Worker bee eggs are fertilised and laid within a small cell
What are the three factors required to raise a new queen?
Fertilised egg raised in a queen cup
Royal jelly fed to larvae
More food fed to larvae
What is swarming?
Swarming is a natural process by which honeybees form new colonies
What is one of the main signs of swarming?
The formation of queen cups is one of the main signs of swarming
What can a beekeeper do to prevent swarming?
Artificial swarming
How long does it take for Queens to develop from eggs to adults?
16 days
How long does it take for workers to develop from eggs to adults?
21 days
How long does it take for drones to develop from eggs to adults?
24 days
Why should beehives be raised up from the ground?
Beehives should be raised up from the ground to prevent the hive from becoming damp and killing the bees
Why is the floor of the hive generally made of mesh?
Beehive floors are made up of mesh to allow for ventilation, parasite drainage and water drainage (damp prevention)
Which parasite commonly affects honeybees?
Varroa mite
When do beekeepers treat bees for parasites?
Beekeepers treat bees at the end of the summer when the colony is at its largest
What are the functions of the brood chamber?
The brood chamber is where the queen lays her eggs and the brood is raised
What are the brood chambers and honey supers separated by a Queen excluder?
The Queen excluder prevents the Queen from laying her eggs in the honey super, making for easier honey collection for the beekeeper
How much honey can a colony produce annually?
50kg
