Introduction to Beekeeping

● Colony as Super-organism

● Colony as Individuals

● Colony Behaviour - Swarming

What are Honey Bees?

Insects

Order HYMENOPTERA which includes Ants &

Wasps

One of 250-260 species of bee in UK

90% Solitary bees

10% SOCIAL bees :-

All 25 bumblebees + ONE honey bee

Social vs Solitary

SOCIAL insects live in complex groups where all work for the benefit of the group (COLONY) and tasks are divided amongst individuals

➢ ANNUAL COLONY exists for one year only (all Bumblebee species, all social wasp species)

➢ PERENNIAL COLONY exists from one year to the next (all ant species, the Honeybee)

SOLITARY insects live only for themselves

1. Colony as a Super-organism

•Individuals act in concert

•Display individual self-

sacrifice (altruism)

Super-organism

Acting in Concert Requires Coordinated

1. Decision making and acceptance

2. Resourcing

3. Accomplishing

4. Stopping

Coordinated Behaviours(some)

1. Foraging – find, recruit, fetch

2. Honey making – invert, evaporate, store

3. Nest Building – wax making, cell building

4. Defending – from marauders

5. Queen Rearing – when and why

6. Swarming

Example of Coordinated Activity Output

Colony – Changes with the Seasons

1. Colony is not static

2. Evolved to match the Seasons

3. Reactive to internal and external conditions

4. No Concept of the future

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Colony Size Varies

Bees

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Colony Effort Varies

Effort Bees

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Colony Spring Flow

Effort Bees

Spring

Flow

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Colony Summer Flow

Effort Bees

Spring

Flow

June Gap

Main

nectar

flowLate

Summer

Flow

Economics of Colony

NECTAR: Carbohydrates (sugars); flowers

POLLEN: Protein, fats & amino acids; flowers

WATER: Temp regulation, Honey usage, Haemolymph (bee

blood); puddles, pools, ponds, nectar

Running “Costs” to the bees: 100lb honey (250lb nectar); 50lb

pollen; 50lb water

Total production honey: 125-180lb honey

Colony needs c. 30 - 50lbs

honey over winter

Hive produces excess

of 50lbs in average

year

NB current account

vs savings account

Managing the Colony with a Modern HiveUse demo hive to show how it can match the colonyneeds as the seasons progress

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Colony Dynamics

Effort Bees

Spring

Flow

June Gap

Main

nectar

flowLate

Summer

Flow

Super Organism – Summary Points

1. Colony behaves as a single entity

2. Colony size and effort varies with the seasons

3. Colony builds and uses a wax nest…

4. …for raising brood and storing food

5. Nectar flows in Spring and in Summer

6. Colony needs sizeable food store to get through the winter

7. Modern hive designed to match the colony’s changing needs

during the year.

2. Colony as Individuals

Three Castes & Two Sexes

1 queen~60,000 workers ~2000 drones

but in winter

~10,000 workers 1 queen 0 drones

Courtesy of Clive de Bruyn

Castes by Number

Drone – the Flying Gamete

• Male

• Sexually mature

after 10 days

• Role is only to mate

with a new queen

• Critically important

spreading colony’s

genes

The Drone

Large Eyes, big wings, long antennae and hairy bum

~ 2000 from Spring to late Summer

Live up to four months

Completely dependent upon workers

• Female

• Sexually mature

• Mates in first few

weeks of her adult

life

• Longer abdomen

The Queen

Queen – Egg Laying Machine

• ~2000 eggs per day

• ~ 250k eggs per year

• Rate of lay controlled by

colony

• Sperm from 15 or so

drones stored in

spermatheca

• Can live up to 5 years

• Totally dependent

upon workers

• Critical to the

viability of the colony

• Prisoner of the colony

The Queen

Raising a New Queen – Three Reasons

1. Colony about

to/has swarmed

(queen gone)

2. Queen is dead

3. Queen is failing

(supersedure)

queen cells

Worker Bee

• Female

• Sexually immature

→ Unable to mate

• Lives ~ 6 weeks

(Spring, Summer)

• Lives ~ 5 months

(Winter)

Duties changes with age of worker

• 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

• 20d - death FORAGING (nectar & pollen)

• 25d - death water & propolis collection

• 0d - death keeping brood warm

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Colony – Age Profile

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drones

old

young

Bee Life Cycle(Complete Metamorphosis)

Insects only grow

during the larval

stage

Worker bee body

mass increases 1000-

fold in six days

Season - 0.5cwt of

pollen required

Bee Life Cycle(Egg to Adult)

Worker fertilised egg

Queen fertilised egg

Drone UNfertilised egg (NO dad!)

Bee Life Cycle - (Egg to Adult)

Worker 3+6+12 = 21 days{1x3+2x3+4x3}

Queen 3+8+5 = 16 days

Drone 3+7+14 = 24 days

Individual Bees – Summary Points

1. Queen (long-lived) and workers are female

2. Drone is male

3. Worker’s role changes as she matures

4. Colony must have a queen (viable eggs)

5. Drones only needed from spring to summer

6. Winter workers live much longer than

summer workers

3. Swarming

1. Colony’s way of reproducing

2. Evolutionary advantageous -without swarming colony is at risk of annihilation through disease, attack, etc.

WHY ?

WHEN ?

Swarming season runs from April to July/August

Needs DronesQueenForageGood Weather

TRIGGERS

1. Lack of absolute and/or

workable space

2. Constrained by bad weather

3. Genetic predisposition

Swarming Process

1. Impulse is Triggered2. Scouts sent out to look for staging point3. Swarm QCs are raised4. At some point – often day 8/9 time to go5. Bees rush around bumping into one another6. Mass of bees boil out of the nest…7. …taking the Old Queen with them8. Swarm clusters at staging point 9. Scouts sent out to find new home10.When found the swarm disappears

Swarming Process - parameters

1. Swarm has enough supplies for 72 hours

2. Supplies for flying, keeping warm and building

new nest

3. Large number of WAX producers needed

4. Preference shown for an old abandoned nest

5. Often occurs after period of containment

6. MUST HAVE a queen

Impact of Swarming

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35000

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January

FebruaryM

arch

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September

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November

December

Brood

Adults

Management – Collecting Swarm

Equipment Standard -

Container

White Sheet

Brush/feather

Secateurs

Step Ladder

Equipment Other

Pitch fork

Piece of Old comb

Management – Hiving Swarm

Ramp and Sheet Method

Shaking into Top Method

Swarming – Summary Points

1. Way the Super Organism Reproduces2. Season is April to July/August3. Triggered by environmental conditions (internal and

external)4. Old queen LEAVES, new queen RAISED5. Half the colony goes – impacts Honey production6. Beekeeper must manage internal conditions7. Beekeeper can (usually) spot preparations8. Swarm collection good way to increase stocks

Questions ?