bees

about bees

 

Bees are classified in all their different types, numbering 20,000, as a type of insects belonging to the order * belonging to the order Hymenoptera, and these types vary in nature with different shapes, colors and sizes. venom, closely related to the wasp

 There is also a difference in the lifestyles of each species, the places in which they settle, as well as the seasons of their activity, and the type of flowers they visit. the moon

 Despite the many species and seasons of their activity, bees do the world an invaluable environmental service, being responsible for the pollination of 80% of flowering plants as well as the pollination of 75% of fruit trees, vegetables and nuts

 

bee colony

 

All members of the same bee colony work in a team spirit despite the diversity of tasks and names, as there are queens, workers and males that differ in their composition and tasks, but they all start as one longitudinal egg. They are placed inside one of the holes in the colony for three days, then they hatch and enter the larval stage, requiring diligent care day and night, fed with royal jelly made by the colony workers for several days, and then fed with what is there called bee bread, which is a mixture of honey and pollen , then the holes are closed above the larva for one to two weeks until it transforms into a cocoon, then it enters the stage of a full-bodied insect with a full body, head and wings

 

types of bees

 bumblebee

Bumblebees are distinguished by their relatively large size and hairy coat compared to other types of bees. Also known for their mainly black and yellow colours, some of them can have two additional colours, white and orange, and it should be noted that there are about 25 species in the eastern United States

 

carpenter bee

 The carpenter bee makes wood its habitat, and it resembles a bumblebee, but it is considered a solitary bee, and it should be noted that it is distinguished by its large size and the luster of its black belly. Winter follows a mating season in the spring

 

bee sweat

Race bees are called this name because of the attraction of some of their species to the human race, and they mainly settle on the ground, but some of them can live in wood, and some species of this bee are social in nature, but take over the affairs of their kingdom to a queen, while others live isolated outside the bee colony And it is mentioned that there are parasitic species of the latter that depend for their resources on other types of bees, and sweat bees are distinguished by their dark color, or completely green, or only with a green part

 

digger bees

 Digger bees live in the ground, where they dig tunnels that branch into independent chambers containing a mixture of pollen and nectar prepared to help eggs develop into larvae for release in spring or summer

 

bee building

 It is called the builder bee, a species that lives in hollow tree branches, or in places with cavities, and uses mud as compartments between where each egg is laid and the other, and these bees are characterized by being green or bright. Blue, or black in color, their females are said to live in isolation from the colony

 

rodent bees

 Rodent bees are called this because they cut circles of leaves and then use them in their homes, which they often put in wood, hollow stems, or in the ground, or in any crack such as concrete cracks, for example, and this is characterized by the type of bees to carry pollen On the lower part of its abdomen, unlike most other bee species that carry it on its legs, most of its species are classified as solitary

 

European honey bee

 The European honey bee is called according to its name. This type of golden or yellowish-brown color, which is about 1.25 cm in size, was not known in America until European colonists brought it in the sixteenth century. Bees are solitary, except for honeybees and a few other species that live in large colonies. The aggressor, and during this process, his skin is torn, he loses parts of his guts and internal organs, and he dies after a few minutes, but there are species that do not have the barbed needle, which helps them sting more than once, and in North America only honey bees make honey, while storing Other bees such as bumblebees nectar, and the nature of the substance or nectar stored between them differs

 

The honeycomb of all honey bee species consists of white hexagonal wax cells, a substance secreted from the abdominal glands of worker bees, chewed and placed inside molds in the form of small flakes, surrounded by propolis, propolis or propolis. It is a waxy, balsamic substance that bees and honey collect from tree buds, sap, or other sources. Honey is stored in this disk. On the other hand, honey bees move from one place to another by reproduction; So this part of the colony bees leave with the old queen, and it should be noted that honeybees usually flee when they feel their colony is threatened or they run out of supplies and food

 

bee installation

 The body of a bee, like the rest of the insects, consists of a head, abdomen, thorax, six legs and two pairs of wings

 

bee food

 Bees seem selective in terms of food, you may find bees landing on many types of flowers even rarely collect pollen from them, and bees are famous for their dependence on nectar in their nutrition, which provides them with a source of carbohydrates and water, in addition to their dependence on pollen, which is a source For protein, amino acids, lipids, lipids, sterols, and cholesterol for many species of bees. It was also noted that the diversity of plants around the colony had an effect on the growth of larvae in it

 

 

Social behavior of bees

 The social behavior of bees is divided into two main types, which are as follows:

 

 solitary bees

 This type of bee is distinguished by its isolation and loneliness, and does not depend on the help of other bees. It is called a semi-social relationship in which the female takes care of them instead of storing and obtaining food, and there are bees that may be similar to solitary bees, except that the females use the same nest and each of them makes its own cell and room. To stay in it, put its larvae in it and it is called communal bees

social bee

 This society consists of large and special colonies, and the females create one shelter for all of them, and it consists of: the queens who are responsible for mating, they are larger than the working bees, and the female workers and their job is to take. Incubator care, search for supplies, and guarding, because they are unable to mate. It is worth noting that male bees are not part of the colony system, and their only function is to mate with the queen, [9] and social bees are those who are characterized by high cooperative behavior, which arises in On the other hand, there is a primitive type of social life that is in the form of small colonies, and varies according to appearance and behavior

 

original bee

 Bees are distributed in all kinds of different climates around the world from the forests of Europe to the deserts of Africa and even the Arctic, unlike honeybees and wild bees in the United States 

bee language

 Like most intelligent animals, bees need language to communicate with each other that helps them express their needs regarding food locations, or to locate new hives, for example. This language is represented in three ways

touch. Contact. Link

Whereas touch between individual bees' antennae is a way to get to know each other and identify their identities, and touch with legs is a way to measure honeycomb size, bees are eager to keep their antennae clean

 Pheromones

 The pheromones released by the bees give the colony a distinctive smell that helps them identify each other. The queen also uses her own pheromones to prevent the females of the colony from laying eggs, as well as releasing some pheromones when she feels threatened in the ocean

dance

 Dancing may seem like an unfamiliar means of communication, but it is such an effective rhythmic method that bees returning from searching for a new colony place predict the viability and quality of that place, while bees supporting that place join the group of dancing bees. By performing intricate dance moves as an expression of their acceptance, the bees are moved only when a unanimous decision has been reached on the new location

 

In fact, the bees' sense of danger is what prompts them to use the needle, so they warn the person approaching them through the bell or buzz they emit, and honeybees differ from African bees by chasing or tracking the infringer, and once they get rid of the source of the threat and begin to complete their work and return to normal

 

 

The importance of bees in pollinating plants

Honey bees are considered one of the most important crop pollinators in the world because they are the most common type of other species, and it is estimated that one third of the food consumed daily depends on the pollination that bees do with birds mainly, and others. Insects and bats, for example honey bees play a major role in pollinating about 80% of commercial crops in the USA, while the contribution of honey bees to the British economy in 2008 was estimated at 165 million pounds

 

The pollination journey in plants begins when the plants appear ready for this process, as pollen grains move from the male part of the plants to the female part of them in several ways, and bees are one of them. Pollen from the male parts to the female parts easily. Some plants, such as tomatoes and potatoes, need to be shaken to shake the pollen in the plant enough to complete this process of pollination, which leads to the spread of the grains and reach the female part, or by carrying it through the villi on the body of the bee after sticking it on it

It was also found that there is a direct relationship between the size of different types of bees and the distance they can travel during the pollination process. While some types of bees can travel on their journey for miles, the distance that can be covered by other types of bees is limited to thousands of meters depending on their size. Several species are collected from different plants during their journey

 

Some behaviors of bees

Bees observe a range of remarkable behaviors, which can be described in some strange ways, including

 

* Sweat bees can pollinate plants that bloom at night with the help of moonlight and stars. The bumblebee queen builds small nests in which she lays her eggs, and she also makes sure to keep them warm at just enough temperature for them to turn into larvae sitting on them, with a bowl full of nectar next to them to help them out. She feeds herself without leaving her eggs

* Some types of bees can determine the type of plants with flowers rich in nectar by measuring the positive electric charge that these plants emit and remember their fingerprints to go to them in the coming times

Beekeeping

 The process of beekeeping requires several things that are limited to the following

 

Buy bees

 Bees are required from beekeeping associations by January for shipment and arrival in April or May

Choose a cell style

 The choice of hive type is a matter for those who want to keep bees, as there are two types of hives, there are modern vertical hives called Langstroth hive and horizontal hives for it

Getting supplies

Beekeeping requires the individual to have supplies suitable for this process, such as protective clothing and feeding supplies

Putting bees in the hive

The bees are placed upon arrival at the hive prepared for this purpose, allowing time to settle in their new hive

 cell control

Constant monitoring of the activity of the bees inside the hive and their continuous checking is essential to ensure their health and to ensure that they obtain the required honey at the time of harvest

 

bee benefits

  The benefits of bees are numerous. In addition to the production of honey, a sweet-tasting sugary liquid, which is of great value for being a product rich in energy and healing properties, bees also play an important role in the process of plant pollination, which is the basis for the growth of many agricultural crops, vegetables and various fruits that are a source of food for animals and humans, although Of the diversity of pollination methods that include insects, winds, birds and bats, but bees are among the most important of these pollinators, due to their ability to pollinate plants on a large scale. Pollination by bees. Broccoli, cucumbers, strawberries, apricots, apples, tomatoes and almonds, it should be noted that according to the Food and Agriculture Organization, nearly 80% of all flowering plants around the world depend on insects, including bees, for pollination