Facts About Bees

The Hive

It is the bee’s home. It is made mostly of wax. Worker bees can make wax from the bottom of their abdomens. They use their legs to shape this wax into the cells of their honeycomb or hive.

The Queen

The queen is the only sexually developed female in the hive. She is about 2 cm long and is the largest of the bees. There is normally only one to each colony and her main role is to lay eggs-3,000 eggs in a single day.

The queen grows from a fertilised egg. Within the first two weeks of her adult life, she is mated and always outside the hive. This provided the queen with sufficient sperm for at least three years egg laying. The queen’s life sperm is approximately 2 years.

The Worker Bee

The workers are infertile females developed, like the queen bee, from fertilised eggs. They are the smallest bees in the colony. They feed the queen and the larvae, guard the hive entrance. Importanly, they are the insects that collect nectar to make honey.

The Drone Bee

Drones are stont male bees that have no stingers. Drones do not collect food or pollen from flomers. Their principal function is to mate with the queen and they always die in the act of mating. When food is short, drones are oftens kicked out of the hive.