Stingless Bee Keeping: Introduction & Practice | The Biology
Content
1) The regions where stingless bees live.
2) The important resources of stingless bees.
3) The caste of stingless bees.
4) The life cycle of stingless bees in general.
5) The life cycle of a queen bee.
6) The life cycle of workers.
7) The worker roles.
8) The life cycle of drones.
9) Swarming (colony reproduction).
10) Stingless Bee Behavior’s : Foraging.
The regions where stingless bees live
Stingless bees live in tropical and subtropical areas around the world. These areas include: Africa, Australia, Central and South America. Stingless bees are believed to be native to Africa.
Various species have their preferred habitats and climatic conditions. Some species are present in the rain forest, savanna and also transitions between
forest and savanna vegetation zones.
*Please watch the video below for further explanation of this section*
The important resources of stingless bees
Five important resources for stingless bees:
- Nectar. Nectar is the primary source of carbohydrates for stingless bees and is crucial to their survival and development. The nectar collected by worker bees is utilised to nourish the colony, including the queen and larvae.
- Pollen. Pollen is stingless bees’ main source of protein and other important elements. Workers gather pollen from flowers and transport it back to the colony’s nest as food. Pollen is also used to make bee bread, which is kept for later consumption.
- Water. Water is essential for maintaining the nest’s habitat and regulating the nest’s temperature. Water is used by stingless bees to control humidity levels within the nest and to dilute honey and bee bread for feeding the larvae.
- Resin. Stingless bees construct and repair their nests using resin. It is gathered from trees and other plants and used to repair breaches, reinforce the nest’s walls, and provide protection against predators and the elements.
- Others like safety and security. An environment that is safe and secure is also a crucial resource for stingless bees. This involves protection from predators like ants and birds as well as weather elements like extreme heat, strong winds, and heavy rain. Providing a proper home and implementing protective measures can assist assure the colony’s survival and success.
*Please watch the video below for further explanation of this section*
The caste of stingless bees
The caste of a stingless bee colony: All stingless bees like other honeybees are social and live together in colonies. The social organization within a colony is made up of a single queen, a few hundreds of drones and several thousands of workers.
*Please watch the video below for further explanation of this section*
The life cycle of stingless bees in general
The life cycle and reproduction of stingless bees. Some important questions from the audience:
• How the queen cell can last ?
• Where the queen cell come from ?
*Please watch the video below for further explanation of this section*
The life cycle of a queen bee
In a colony, the queen is the mother of all members and controls the day-to-day organization and activities of the nest. Her body releases chemical substances called pheromones, which the colony interprets and acts upon. Among such examples is a pheromone which suppresses egg laying by the whole nest’s workers. In her lifetime, the queen mate with drones from a different colony, storing all the sperms necessary for egg fertilization. The fertilized eggs become worker or queen larvae, while the unfertilised eggs become drone larvae. The larvae that becomes a queens is entirely sustained by royal jelly.
*Please watch the video below for further explanation of this section*
The life cycle of workers
Unlike the queen, workers are female components of colonies that develop from larvae hatched from fertilised eggs. The larvae are fed royal jelly until a few days after hatching, and then worker jelly until they reach pupal stage, when their cells are sealed. The adults emerge as workers and perform most of the nest’s activities, including foraging, house cleaning, defense, and larval feeding.
*Please watch the video below for further explanation of this section*
The worker roles
The roles of the workers are:
• Build, maintain, & Cleaning the Hives.
• Foraging: collect plant resins, nectar, pollen, others for the colony.
• Receives, store, and maturing the honey.
• Develop and store the bee bread.
• Thermogulating the hives.
• Defending the hives from threats.
*Please watch the video below for further explanation of this section*
The life cycle of drones
The drones are very important to the reproduction of the colony, since they are the male component. In order to achieve this, drones are mated with virgin from another colony. They are developed from unfertilized eggs. The larvae of drones are nourished with larval food just like those of workers. Inside the nest, drones appear light in color.
*Please watch the video below for further explanation of this section*
Swarming (colony reproduction)
The natural way for a bee colony to reproduce is by swarming. Swarming occurs when a single colony splits into two or more distinct colonies.
*Please watch the video below for further explanation of this section*
Stingless Bee Behavior’s : Foraging
In most cases, stingless bees use chemical scents (pheromones) and the direction of the sun to communicate where forage sources are. If they encounter forage, the foraging workers will collect and return to their nest to recruit other workers to the forage source. To direct the other workers to the forage source, workers stop at specific spots that are marked with pheromones while on the trip.
*Please watch the video below for further explanation of this section*
