Let’s talk about how AWESOME worker bees are.
I’ve been doing some research and discovered some pretty intense stuff.
I’m assuming you know about each bee’s hard-core role in & out of the hive; drones mate, workers collect honey, etc. But, my friends, THAT’S NOT ALL! They have SO many more jobs to do than just that, especially worker bees when they reach certain ages.
The way that they go about protecting their hive astonishes me, and those who defend the colony are by far my FAVOURITE. Before going to explore the flowers, they have to inspect EVERY SINGLE BEE that comes into the hive. If it doesn’t have a familiar scent, then that means it’s a foreigner. The only time other bees are allowed into the hive is if they bribe the worker bee with nectar.
But- get this- if there ever is a lack of food in the hive during the winter, the worker bees will literally BLOCK the drones from coming into the hive in general. They won’t even let them in. It’s insane.
When a worker bee is first born, they instantly develop the knowledge of cleaning their cell. They do this so that new eggs, nectar, and pollen can be stored. But get this- if they do it wrong, the Queen tells them to do it ALL OVER again!! This is a very human-like characteristic that’s fascinating to see in insects.
The job of the undertaker doesn’t happen until the worker bees have matured a bit. Due to a number of bees in the hive, eventually a few will perish. So, to ensure that there are no possible health threats exposed to the colony, undertakers will remove and dispose of all dead or diseased bees or embryos. It’s sad, but it’s something they have to do to ensure the hive is healthy.
These bees really do deserve their names. They take on the task of incubating and caring for the larvae, along with feeding the queen larva royal jelly. According to BBC Earth, they also “prescribe” different types of honey to bees that are sick, as a way of giving them medication.
Worker bees can start to make wax flakes from consuming plenty of honey & nectar, their food, at the age of 12 days old. This is what ultimately creates the shape of their hives, which truly is an engineering masterpiece as Charles Darwin has said.
These are only a few that I’ve discovered. But the more I research them, the more I realize how intelligent they truly are.
Bees are cool. Let’s save them.
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