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Introduction to Beekeeping

Introduction to Beekeeping. Session 3 – The Colony Sat 22 nd /Sun 23 rd March 2014. Introductions. Nigel Hurst 3 yrs beekeeping Hives in garden. Superorganism. Individuals Division of labour Superintelligence. Number of bees in a colony. 1 queen. ~60,000 workers. ~2000 drones.

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Introduction to Beekeeping

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  1. Introduction to Beekeeping Session 3 – The Colony Sat 22nd/Sun 23rdMarch 2014

  2. Introductions • Nigel Hurst • 3 yrs beekeeping • Hives in garden

  3. Superorganism • Individuals • Division of labour • Superintelligence

  4. Number of bees in a colony 1 queen ~60,000 workers ~2000 drones but in winter 0 drones 1 queen ~10,000 workers Courtesy of Clive de Bruyn

  5. Honey bee castes and sexes

  6. Number of bees in a colony Main nectar flow

  7. Queen’s Court or Retinue

  8. Honey bee - development Days

  9. Larval development Ex: Biology of the Honeybee by Mark Winston NB: Worker and drones are laid in cells that are approximately horizontal whereas queens are laid and developed in cells that hang downwards

  10. Workers - division of labour with age • 0 - 6 days cell cleaning, general hive cleaning • 3 - 9 days feeding the brood • 3 - 15 days attending the queen • 6 - 18 days honey processing • 12 - 20 days wax production and comb building • 15 - 25 days hive ventilation • 18 - 35 days guard duty • 20 days - death nectar collection • 20 days - death pollen collection • 25 days - death water & propolis collection

  11. Summer & winter bees • Summer bees • Up to 2000 a day • 6 weeks (3 weeks outside of hive) • Exhaustion • Die away from colony • Winter bees • About 20 a day • Up to 6 months • Disease and old age • Adaptation

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