1. A hive has between 30 It is 60 thousand individuals. When the swarm is overpopulated, about 50% of the bees leave to build the new home. A queen it is taken because the eggs that are in its abdomen are essential for the new community. The old swarm generates a new queen.
two. The new group seeks a suitable place to protect it from the weather and predators. This location can be a hole inside a tree, an empty can or a termite mound, among many others. Hives in dark places help to conserve temperature in the winter season.
3. Having found the ideal place, the first thing to do is start the comb construction so that the queen can lay her eggs. Attached at the top, the combs are built from top to bottom with a space of 6 to 9 mm between them, for the bees to move around.
4. Each comb has alveoli on both sides. When the hive is ready, it will have a standard arrangement: at the top, the honey is kept, then the pollen, then the larvae and eggs and, finally, the drones. Combs are made from wax produced by the wax glands of worker bees.
5. Bees build cells always in the shape hexagonal because it uses less wax and makes the most of the hive space. The walls of the alveoli are raised with an elevation of 4 to 9° so that the honey does not run out and the larvae do not fall out.
6. Once the first walls are erected, the queen lays her eggs. From then on, the hive goes into full operation: part of the bees begin to collect nectar to produce honey, while others take care of the larvae, seal holes and build the rest of the combs.
7. The hive temperature is always kept between 34 It is 36°C, necessary index to control the texture of the wax. If it goes beyond that, some workers flap their wings to ventilate and others bring droplets of water. The hive lasts for several years if not attacked by predators.
DRAWING THING
“Drones are only good for breeding. Fed by workers, they have a quiet life: they do not work or look for food.
– To control the temperature, bees use propolis, a sap collected from plants, to seal any gaps.
Retirement for what? Functions of bees vary according to age:
1 to 5 days: Cleaning of sockets;
6 to 11 days: Feeding the larvae;
12 to 18 days: Wax production;
18 to 21 days: Hive protection;
21 to 42 days (death): Collection of nectar, pollen, water and resins.
Read too:
– Why does a bee die when it stings a person?
– Could the extinction of bees end humanity?
– Is it true that bees and beetles are enemies?
CONSULTANCY: Constantino Zara Filho, president of the Paulista Association of Beekeepers SOURCES study Basic Principles for Apiary Installation, by Silvio Lengler, Embrapa websites and https://www.abr.io/colmeia.
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