Our pollination team has been busy!! . We are extremely blessed to have a larger colony this year! Based off the box sizes, we can estimate the amount of bees based off these facts: . ESTIMATING COLONY STRENGHT A shallow frame fully covered with bees will hold approx. 0.3 pounds of bees. A deep frame fully covered holds 0.5 pounds of bees or about 1750 individuals. There are about 3500 bees per pound. . AVERAGE DEVELOPMENTAL PERIOD OF HONEY BEES Queen = 16 Days (Needs fertilizing by drones & may not lay eggs for up to additional 7 days) . Worker = 21 Days . Drone = 24 Days . AVERAGE LIFE LENGTH OF HONEY BEES A honey bee queen could live for 3 to 4 years, as long as she is free from disease. Most beekeepers requeen after 1 to 2 years. Worker bees live for 6 weeks during the busy summer, and for 4-9 months during the winter months. At the most, drones may live for up to 4 months, however, they may survive for just a few weeks. Note, that upon mating with the queen, drones die immediately. Honey bee colonies consist of a single queen, hundreds of male drones and 20,000 to 80,000 female worker bees. Each honey bee colony also consists of developing eggs, larvae and pupae. . A well-mated and well-fed queen of quality stock can lay about 1,500 to 2,000 eggs per day during the spring build-up—more than her own bodyweight in eggs every day. . Fun Facts Honey bees fly at 15 miles per hour. . Honey bees' wings stroke 11,400 times per minute, thus making their distinctive buzz. . Honeybees are responsible for pollinating approx. 80% of all fruit, vegetable and seed crops in the U.S. . Bees communicate with each other by dancing and by using pheromones (scents) . Honeybees never sleep! 🐝 . . . #HoneyBees #FarmFacts #ComeTakeaTourWithUs (at Lane Creek Reserve) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_6hcmHlwvi/?igshid=1cyuirdkog7ds