Many insects have very short lifespan. Bees are no exception. The life span of insects depends on their position in the family and a number of other factors. The bee family is structured and represented by the uterus, drones and working bees.
Factors Affecting Bee Life
The number of one bee family can be expressed in tens of thousands of individuals. During the year, their number is constantly changing, which is associated with a life span. Changes do not concern only the uterus - it is always alone.
One of the most important factors affecting the life span of these insects is the strength of the family. The stronger it is, the longer the bees will live.
Another significant factor is the time of the appearance of the insect in the light. In a year, brood appears several times. If bees feed brood in the fall, then the energy expended on this labor affects their lifespan.
The significance of brood time is also due to the way the bees tolerate different seasons. Summer is easier for them to survive, since low temperatures with dampness are more harmful than heat. If the heat is too strong, then the bees at this time remain in the hive - there are plenty of household chores. They fly out after nectar after the temperature drops. In the cold months, it takes a lot of energy for the bees to warm themselves, because some of them can not survive until spring.
The life of the uterus depends on the number of eggs laid by it. The larger it is, the faster the bee ages.
Lack of nutrients in the feed or any disease can also affect the longevity of bees.
How long does a honey bee live?
Working insects are females, but are not capable of fertilization. They constitute the bulk of the bee family.
Worker bees have many responsibilities: they must collect nectar, deliver water, build honeycombs, tidy them up, guard the hive, create the right microclimate in it and feed the rest of the family: the uterus, drones and larvae.
Due to the large number of functions, working bees work around the clock, spending a lot of energy. This affects their lifespan, which is calculated not in years, but in days.
If the family is strong, then the insect can live up to 35 days. In weak families, the life of a working bee rarely exceeds 25 days.
Sometimes working insects live up to 45 days. Usually this phenomenon is observed with active honey collection.
Bees from summer or autumn brood usually live up to two months. Overwintered insects can live up to 7-8 months. They live to see the honey collection, where they can bring some benefit. This life expectancy is due to the fact that they do not have to work hard. Autumn bees get good nutrition, enough rest, so by winter they are healthy, strong and well fed.
If the bees feed the brood in the fall, then it takes them a lot of energy. Because of this, insects may not live up to the spring honey harvest.
The shortest life expectancy is characteristic of the April brood. Such bees live a little more than 3 weeks.
How many years does the queen bee live?
Unlike working bees, the hive queen's life span is calculated over the years. On average, she can live 2-3 years, but sometimes she lives up to 5 years.
This life expectancy is due to the fact that the uterus has the only duty - the reproduction of offspring. All the energy of the insect goes to this.
The uterus does not have to collect nectar, build a honeycomb or produce honey. Her nutrition is the task of working bees producing royal jelly, in which there are all the necessary nutrients.
The uterus is able to lay up to one and a half thousand eggs per day - it works constantly. The more a bee lays eggs, the faster it dies from old age.
When a young and prolific female appears, the old uterus simply survives from the hive. After that, she quickly dies due to hunger. Without the working bees serving it, the uterus lives only 2-3 days.
Uterine replacement can be performed artificially. In apiaries, this is done every 2 seasons, since the greatest fecundity of the bee is manifested in the first two years.
How many drones live?
Drones are the only males in the bee family. Their purpose is to fertilize the uterus and protect it.
Drones appear in the spring of those eggs that are not fertilized. On the 10-13th day, they can already begin their duties.
Since the uterus is fertilized almost on the fly, beetle birds kill many drones. Surviving representatives are thrown out of the hive when the need for them disappears.
These family members live only in the summer. During this period, they fertilize the uterus and protect it, and worker bees are engaged in their feeding.
More often drones live only a few weeks, but sometimes they can live up to a year.
As soon as the need for drones disappears, they cease to feed them, since there is no point in spending food on them. Working bees take out unnecessary insects from the hive or push them out, not letting them go back. Hunger and cold drones quickly kill.
Several drones are left in the hive if the uterus is not present or if it is not fertilized. These representatives will be needed for the new uterus.
Exiled drones are sometimes allowed into another family when the uterus in them is not fertilized. After completing the task, they are still expelled anyway.
How long does a bee live after a bite?
Bees are quite non-invasive, but in some cases they can sting a person or animal. For this, insects have a sting, invisible in the usual state, which remains in the body of a creature bitten by a bee.
To tear it, the insect makes a sharp jerk, therefore, along with the sting, it often loses part of the internal organs. This leads to the death of the bee, which occurs in just a few seconds after the bite.
A bee may not die if it is bitten by a creature that has a chitinous coating. In this case, the sting is easily removed and remains with the bee. Her life expectancy will be standard.
Different representatives of the bee family differ not only in their duties, but also in their life expectancy. It can range from several weeks to several years. The life span of insects is influenced by many factors.