Bees belong to the Hymenoptera order, which is included in the Insecta class of the Hexapod subphylum. They are considered social insects, because the individuals are grouped in hives forming a kind of society where several castes can be differentiated, each one of them playing an important role for the swarm survival. In this way, we can differentiate between the queen bee, the drones and the worker bees.
Curiosities about the physique and functions of bees
Although bees follow a basic physical pattern, which normally consists of dark colors with yellow stripes on their bodies, it is true that their structure or appearance can vary depending on what species of bee it is. However, within the same species there can also be some differences between the queen bee, the drones or the worker bees:
- Queen bee: she is the only fertile female in the hive, so the first thing that characterizes the queen bee is the large development of its ovarian structures, which make it, in turn, the largest bee In addition, they have longer legs and a larger and larger abdomen. length than the worker bees that make up the hive. However, his eyes are somewhat smaller.
- Drones: are the male bees whose only function in the hive is to reproducewith the queen bee to produce offspring. Unlike the latter and worker bees, drones have larger, thicker and heavier rectangular bodies. In addition, they lack a stinger and have noticeably larger eyes.
- Worker bees: they are the only infertile female bees in the hive, so their reproductive systems are stunted or poorly developed. Her abdomen is shorter and narrower, and unlike the queen bee, her wings span the entire length of her body. The role of the worker bees consists of the pollen collection and food production, construction and protection of the hive and the care of the other specimens that make up the swarm.
Curiosities about bee feeding
Among the main foods of these insects we can highlight honey, a source of the sugars necessary for bees and made from the nectar of flowers, which they absorb with their long tongues to finally digest it in their corresponding hives. The flowers they attend can be varied, but it is common to find them feeding on those with more striking colors, as is the case of the daisy. Speaking of which, did you know that a single worker bee can visit up to 2,000 flowers in the same day? Curious, right?
They also consume pollen, because in addition to providing sugars, proteins and essential vitamins such as those of group B, it allows the development of glands that produce royal jellyAnd here comes another of the curiosities of bees, royal jelly is the exclusive food of the queen bee and of the young workers, since it is capable of creating fatty bodies during the winter so that they can survive the cold.
From the sugars that honey and pollen provide, bees can make wax, which is also important for sealing the cells of the hives. Without a doubt, the entire food manufacturing process is incredible and very curious. If you want to know more about what bees eat, this article may be of interest to you: "What do bees eat?"
Curiosities about bee reproduction
If you've ever wondered how bees reproduce, you should know that the queen bee is the only fertile female in the hive. That is why she is the only one capable of reproducing with drones, giving rise to fertilized females. As for the offspring of males, another of the most curious facts about bees is that drones emerge from unfertilized eggs. Only in case the queen bee dies or disappears, the worker bees can carry out the reproductive function.
Now then, not only the birth of females and males is curious, since the process that implies reproduction is also another of the curiosities of bees. When it is time to reproduce, which is usually in the spring, the queen bee secretes pheromones to attract and communicate her fertility to the drone. After this, the nuptial flight or fertilization flight takes place, which consists of a coupling in the air between the two, during which the spermatozoa are transferred from the copulatory organ of the drone to the spermatheca or deposit of the queen bee. Days after fertilization takes place, the queen bee begins to lay thousands of eggs from which male bee larvae (if they are not fertilized) or female bee larvae will come out. Now, what are the curious truths?
- The queen bee is capable of laying up to 1,500 eggs a day, did you know?
- The queen has the ability to store the sperm of different drones to lay eggs for a period of approximately three weeks. So considering how many eggs she lays each day, can you imagine how quickly a hive develops?
Discover how bees are born in this other article, we assure you that it is also very curious.
Curiosities about the behavior of bees
In addition to using pheromones to reproduce, they also play an important role in bee communication and behavior. In this way, depending on what pheromone they secrete, they can know if there is a danger close to the hive or if they are in a place rich in food or water, among others. However, to communicate they also use body movements or movements as a dance following a certain pattern and understood by them. Well, as we can see, are surprisingly intelligent animals just like other social insects like ants. If you want to know more about these processes, you can read the article on how bees communicate.
Regarding his behavior, it is also worth noting the importance of his defensive instinct. When threatened, worker bees protect the hive using their venomous saw-shaped stinger. When removing said stinger from the skin of the animal or person they have stung, the bees die, since, due to its serrated structure, it detaches from the body, tearing the belly and causing the death of the insect.
Other curiosities of bees
Now that you know some of the most important facts about bees, you may also be interested in other facts such as the following:
- There are more than 20,000 species of bees in the world.
- Although most are diurnal, certain species can see very well in the dark.
- They are distributed practically all over the world except Antarctica.
- They can produce propolis, a substance they obtain from the mixture of tree sap and buds. Together with the wax it is used to varnish the hive.
- Not all bee species are capable of producing honey from flower nectar.
- Its two eyes are made up of thousands of smallereyes called ommatidia. These transform light into electrical signals, which are interpreted and transformed into images by the brain. Find out how bees see in this other post.
- The Queen bee proclamation occurs after a fight between 3 or 5 candidate bees raised by the worker bees for that purpose. The winner of this fight is the queen bee of the hive. If this topic interests you, don't hesitate to read the article on how a bee becomes a queen.
- A queen bee can live three to four years if conditions are right. In contrast, worker bees live between one and four months, depending on the season of the year. Learn more curiosities about the life cycle of bees in this other article.
What do you think of these curiosities about bees? Did you know them? Tell us!
