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BASIC HONEY BEE BIOLOGY AS IT PERTAINS <br /> ANA EMENT PRACTICES <br /> BEST M G <br /> THE COLONY <br /> The Superorganism <br /> Honey bees are social insects that live together in <br /> large numbers forming a colony. The honey bee a. 4. • ",‘,/#""-;-• _ - . <br /> colony is truly an excellent example of the whole :- ��� � ► r - -� -- <br /> being <br /> being greater than the sum of its parts, and for that <br /> reason is often referred to as a "superorganism.° •t j;, • c;' =lit * <br /> Unlike many of the wild, native bees, an individual J ;I; i <br /> • <br /> honey bee cannot live on its own because it cannot <br /> carry out all the functions necessary for life. However, 4 .' • <br /> w '• " ti; x - <br /> when that individual is part of a colony, it contributes <br /> some small but essential part to the overall existence • - iw: "y \, <br /> 40 of the colony. The total contribution made by the -Ir <br /> thousands of bees in a colony enables them to <br /> be flexible and resilient in the face of changing -;-"A°717„, t4,1 -. - <br /> challenges and climate conditions. Figure 1.Workers attending a queen that is marked with a yellow <br /> paint dot on her thorax. Can you spot the drones? <br /> A colony consists of a single queen, many thousands <br /> of workers, a few to several hundred drones (Figure <br /> 1) and thousands of developing bees (eggs, larvae, P iii0 4/111 411,1111"r <br /> and pupae) that are referred to collectively as brood. <br /> The worker bees secrete wax from glands on their <br /> abdomen and construct vertically hanging wax honey t„ is <br /> comb. These hexagonal wax cells are used for <br /> rearing brood as well as for storing pollen and honey. <br /> In the center of the nest is an area called the brood <br /> nest where the brood is reared (Figure 2). Here the 4100040410 <br /> adult worker bees maintain a temperature between <br /> 90-95°F. Pollen and honey are stored around the <br /> perimeter of the brood nest (Figure 3). In nature, lididllill40111111,....„ <br /> - <br /> colonies are usually found living in cavities such as Figure 2. Eggs and larvae developing in the beeswax comb.The <br /> hollow trees, and they will readily accept our wooden larvae are floating on brood food, the white-clear liquid substance, <br /> which is fed to the developing larvae by nurse bees(photo by <br /> hives as a home. Judy Griesedieck). <br /> Beekeeping in Northern Climates 3 <br />