Page 22 - Kids and Bees Resource Booklet_SP_Neat

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Worker Bee
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A “bee caste” is the system that defines the social and occupational hierarchy of a bee colony. Each individual has
an important job to do, which keeps the colony functioning as a cohesive unit (a super organism) today and into
the future. A drone’s only job is to leave the hive and find a queen bee
The Queen’s primary job is to lay eggs, hence to mate with. His thorax is extra large and full of muscles
her large abdomen to hold them! to fly far and fast to meet his queen.
Drones: the male honey bee,
The Queen: a female usually hundreds per colony.
adult bee that is repro-
ductive, usually one per They are most prevalent in
colony. A queen can live the Spring, when pollen and
from one to three years. nectar are abundant. Their
life span is shorter that the
Some reports, however, other bees.
suggest even longer lives!

She never gathers pollen for the hive, that’s a His large eyes are another He doesn’t have a stinger, so in-
worker’s job. Therefore she has no pollen baskets. adaptation to find his queen. stead of a pointed abdomen, his is
blunt and cylindrical.
Workers (all female): adult female bees who do not reproduce, usually over 99% of the colony’s popula-
tion. Workers live four to six weeks in the summer, but up to six months in the winter. As worker bees age, they
perform different “jobs” for the colony. The first few days they are a “nurse” bee then a “house” bee and so on.

Nurse Bee: worker bees who are 20 minutes to 11 days old that feed and take care of developing brood and the
queen.
House Bee: adult female bee, typically 12-17 days old, who make wax, clean the hive, and remove bees who have
died inside the hive.
Guard Bee: adult female worker bees who guard the entrance of the hive from pests such as bears, wasps, hu-
mans, and other bees.
Forager Bee: worker bees who are 21 to 45 days old that collect honey, pollen, water, and propolis.
Scout Bee: worker bees, typically 21-45 days old, that find new food resources and tell the forager bees through
dancing. They also communicate new hive locations to swarms.
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