Though a worker’s lifespan is only between 3 to 6 weeks in the height of the flowering season, a single bee can be responsible for a wide variety of roles inside and outside the hive.
The Hive
The inside of the hive is made up of many rows of vertically built honeycomb. This comb is a structure made up of thousands of individual hexagonal cells, into which the bees house everything from honey and pollen to larvae and pupae (“brood” is the collective term for eggs, larve and pupae that become “baby” bees). Everything happens within these cells. Bees move up and down and between the rows of comb, completely in the dark— until the beekeepers open the top.
The Housekeeper
After pupation, a new bee emerges out of her cell by chewing the covering, or capping, and makers her way into the world of the hive. Though sometimes called a “baby” bee, this individual is a fully developed adult with the exception of her stinger, which is still soft and not fully formed. After this young bee grooms herself and has a bite to eat of pollen and honey, her first task is to clean the cell from which she emerged. Because the queen is attracted to lay in a clean cell, this step is an important one in raising the next generation. Generally speaking, housekeeper bees keep the home neat and tidy.
The Undertaker
The beehive may be one of the sterile environments in nature; bees are sticklers for keeping a clean house. As such, some young bees, which can be called undertakers or mortician bees, are designated to remove the colony’s dead. It’s not a glamorous job, but some bee has to do it.
Because a dead bee lacks the moisture that gives it weight, undertaker bees are capable of carrying the deceased, flying with them, and disposing them as far from the hive as possible. Undertakers also remove any dead or diseased larvae to reduce the spread of illness.
If a larger creature, such as a mouse, were to crawl in and die inside of the hive, even a task force of undertaker bees would have a difficult time carrying it out. Luckily, bees collect a tree resin that they turn into a sticky, sterile substance, called propolis, sometimes referred to as bee glue. The bees will completely encase the invasive critter in this deep-yellow, antibacterial substance, sealing off any potential for disease to spread.
The Nurse
In another role, the female honeybee turns her attention to the young larvae and works to feed them around the clock. For the first few days, larvae are fed royal jelly, a substance made from a combination of pollen, honey or nectar. and a chemical produced specifically by nurse bees.
As larvae develop, the workers next make a mixture of nectar and pollen to create what we call “bee bread” and will feed a single larva about 1,300 times per day. Depending on how large the brood nest is and its needs, a bee will remain a nurse; when the larva is ready to pupate, the nurse bee will seal its cell with a wax capping.
The Lady in Waiting
Several lucky bees will find themselves in the role of attending to the queen’s needs. Because the queen’s role is very specific and, I can only imagine, very tiresome, she requires some assistance in caring for herself. Though it may sound luxurious, the queen’s attendants are not throwing tea parties or giving manicures; they groom and feed her and remove her excrement from the hive. (As mentioned, bees are very clean. Workers will fly outside of the hive on “cleansing flights” to take care of business, but the queen’s large body renders her unable to do so.) The attendants may even offer a bit of a cheerleading service, coaxing and guiding the queen to lay eggs as she makes her way through the hive.
The Organizer
At about 2 weeks of age, some bees, called organizers, are responsible for unloading the returning field bees of their nectar or pollen. The organizer bees store this nectar and pollen in allocated cells to later feed the colony. The bees that store nectar have an additional job; after they add an enzyme to the nectar and store it, they fan it down to have the correct moisture content to ripen the honey.
The Fanner
Controlling just the right temperature and humidity level in the hive is crucial to brood development and properly cured honey. Fanner bees work furiously to … well, fan air in and out of the hive and keep a constant temperature. Because broods require 93 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit to grow (and healthy broods equal a larger, stronger colony), the fanner is yet another critical role in the honeybee hive.
The Architect
At about 12 days old, a worker bee has sufficiently developed wax glands to begin wax production. As such the architect is now able to produce wax comb and to also make cappings for ripened honey and for developed larvae cells.
The Guard
With her stinger fully developed, a guard bee, in her last role within the hive, will protect the entrance to the hive with her life. Standing at attention, the guards meet and greet each bee that tries to get into the hive and will determine if the guest is family or foe by scent. Only those bees that have the hive’s pheomone will be allowed in. Those that do not are fended off. In the event that nectar sources are scrace or if a hive is weak, wasps, hornets, or other bees may attempt to force their way into the hive to rob the colony of honey stores. In a situation such as this, called robbing, guard bees will bravely defend the colony, perhaps to death.
The Forager
With about three weeks left to her life, the mature female worker finally leaves the hive for the outside world. Before setting sail, however, she familiarizes herself to the hive by taking an orientation flight. Learning the direction of the sun, the local landmarks and the position of the hive, the new forager ensures that she is able to return home once she is laden with her bounty.
After imprinting her hive, the forager flies in search of pollen and nectar collected from flowers. Some foragers will specifically collect propolis, that sticky tree resin, and others will gather water, an important element to establish the perfect moisture content in honey.
This stage is the most taxing partof a honeybee’s life. While it may appear that you have abundant flora and fauna in your backyard, a honeybee will travel anywhere between 3 to 6 miles to forage for the colony’s needs. This can take a large toll on a small bee. She makes trips between a source and the hive multiple times a day.
Foraging bees may meet a variety of ends while out in the field (so to speak), whether it is a chilled evening, a predator or sheer exhaustion. Retirement is not a cultural aspect of the honeybee hive, and each female works dutifully right up until the end.
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