The worker bees

Its function in the hive depending on its age

Worker bees have different functions in the hive depending on their age.

As the name implies, worker bees are responsible for doing different functions and jobs inside and outside the hive.

Although worker bees are female, the royal pheromones of the queen bee prevent the organs of worker bees from developing. Therefore, worker bees cannot lay eggs (only if the queen bee disappears for some reason, worker bees will develop their eggs and may lay unfertilized eggs from which drones will come out).

Worker bees have organs that neither queen bees nor drones possess, so they can do tasks according to their age and the development of their organs:

Cell cleaning:

- During the second and third day of life, the worker bees will do the cleaning of the hives of the hive. In addition, they will take care of giving heat to both the eggs and the larvae.

Make of nurse bees:

- Between days 4 and 12 of their life, worker bees will perform the functions of the nurse bees and prepare the feeding of the larvae and take care of them. It is during this period of time that worker bees produce royal jelly.

Wax and storage honeycomb constructions:

- Between days 13 and 18 of his life, worker bees will produce thanks to their glands the wax necessary to build the wax combs. They can also build the so-called real cells in case the hive needs it. They will also do the honey storage functions, which they will store in the cells and cover them with wax to extract moisture.

Defensive and hive ventilation tasks:

- Between days 19 and 20, worker bees will perform defensive functions. The worker bees will stand in front of the hive entrance and defend the colony against attacks by other insects (such as wasps, Asian wasp) and prevent the entry of bees from other colonies. In addition, they will also do ventilation work on the hive, since through their flutter they will take out the hot air and remove moisture from the hive.

Pecoreo tasks (pollen collection, nectar and water):

- Between 21 and 42, worker bees will be dedicated to the work of pecoreo, that is, to collect nectar, pollen and water to feed the entire bee colony.

The age of worker bees will depend on the number of kilometers traveled. In times of flowering, bees will fly a lot of kilometers and, therefore, will only live up to 38 days (or up to 42 days). On the other hand, in times of less activity such as autumn or winter, worker bees will be able to live up to 180 days (since they travel many kilometers less daily).

Mundoabejas.com team