The life spans of honey bees differ depending on their function in the colony, and when they emerged in the season.
Drones:
The drone, a male honey bee, typically has an average lifespan of more or less 55 days, though some instances report lifespans of up to 90 days. Drones meet their end immediately after mating with new queens. As summer concludes, drones become surplus to the colony’s needs. While honey bees can tolerate cooler temperatures, foraging requires favorable weather conditions. In winter, with limited nectar and pollen, surviving drones are expelled from the nest by worker bees to conserve precious food resources.
Workers:
Worker honey bees, born in spring and summer, lead short but busy lives of about 6 to 7 weeks, contributing to the colony’s peak productivity. Engaged in tasks like feeding larvae, gathering nectar, and building honeycomb, they play crucial roles. In contrast, those raised in autumn face a quieter existence with no brood to care for, focusing on surviving the cold for approximately 4 to 6 months until the next spring.
While the queen’s life centers on mating and egg-laying, worker honey bees progress through various stages and functions. Their diverse roles include nest maintenance, larval care, foraging, honey production, and more.
The Roles Of Workers:
In a honey bee colony, there are three distinct types of bees: drones, the queen, and worker bees. Drones, exclusively males, serve the primary purpose of mating with the queen to facilitate the colony’s reproduction. The honey bee queen’s central role involves laying eggs and ensuring efficient colony functioning through communication methods with other colony members.
Worker bees, on the other hand, have diverse roles within the colony, with responsibilities influenced by their maturity and the season. As a result, the specific duties of worker honey bees evolve over their lifespans to meet the changing needs of the colony.
Honey bee worker castes:
Honey bee workers are categorized into four main castes based on their roles: cell cleaning, brood nest, food storage, and forager. The division of labor among these castes is influenced by the age of the bees. Each caste serves a specific function within the hive, contributing to the overall efficiency and functioning of the colony.
These descriptions provide a broad overview and may not capture the full spectrum of activities undertaken by honey bee workers.
In spring and summer, as the bee population grows, the emphasis shifts to accumulating resources (nectar and pollen) for both larvae and worker bees, along with caring for developing larvae. This period sees honey bee workers specializing in various roles, enhancing the overall efficiency of the superorganism. In winter, when the bee population decreases and the colony remains within the nest or hive, survival becomes the paramount challenge, leading worker bees to adopt more generalized tasks.
It’s essential to note that a worker bee’s lifespan is relatively short, lasting approximately 5–7 weeks in summer but potentially extending to 4 months or more in winter.
Specialized roles of worker honey bees:
What roles do worker honey bees undertake through the ‘growth’ months of spring and summer?
From the table below we can see that worker bees perform several tasks over several days in their development, although not all bees will necessarily carry out all roles. For example, not all workers take a turn at being a ‘guard bee’.
In the initial stages of a bee’s life, activities are concentrated at the center of the nest, gradually expanding to encompass more duties towards the periphery as the bee matures. Typically, a worker bee transitions to the role of a forager at around 20 days old.
As foragers, these older bees undertake more challenging tasks, including the collection of essential nutrients for the colony such as water, pollen, and nectar. This role exposes them to potential risks, including encounters with predators and accidents.
Find article related : Introduction to honey bee life
Find article related : Queen Honey Bee
