![]() ![]() They could be attacked by predators, lose their way back home, get caught in a wind storm, fall victim to diseases or pesticides in the environment, or any number of other dangers. Outside the nest foragers are exposed to all the dangers of the outside world. This is because foraging is one of the most dangerous tasks in the colony. Forager bees leave the nest and collect nectar, pollen and water.Īdult honey bee foragers will usually live another 30 days after they begin foraging, about 51 days in total. The last task a honey bee worker performs is foraging. ![]() Usually after a few weeks inside the nest, workers will transition to outside tasks and take their first flight. How long each bee works at a certain job will change depending upon the needs of the colony. ![]() Young bees also produce wax from glands on their abdomens and build all of the structures you see in the nest. Young honey bee workers first do tasks inside the nest like take care of the queen and young larvae. These workers change the tasks they do as they age-kind of how we change what we do as we get older: first we stay at home, then we go to school and then work. Queens, who spend their lives laying eggs inside the hive, could live for several years workers who labor during busy seasons cannot survive as long.All honey bee workers are female. The life span of the honey bee is also determined by pollen consumption and protein abundance, as well as the honey bee's level of activity. The first few weeks of a worker's life are spent working within the hive, while the last weeks are spent foraging for food and gathering pollen or nectar. The life span of worker honey bees ranges from five to seven weeks. Worker bees are the smallest members of the colony, but have the largest number of individuals: a hive can contain 20,000 to 80,000 workers. If he is unsuccessful in the mating flight, the drone will be ejected from his hive at the end of the active summer season and will eventually die of cold or starvation. If a mature drone successfully mates with a queen, he will die soon after the mating flight. The main purpose of a drone is to mate with the queen, and their life span relates directly to this task. Queens produce unfertilized eggs that hatch into drones, or male honey bees. A single queen lays thousands of eggs throughout her life. Domesticated honey bee queens may die earlier, as beekeepers "re-queen" the hives frequently. ![]() Queens, who are responsible for producing and laying eggs, live for an average of two to three years, but have been known to live five years. Each caste has certain responsibilities to the preservation of their hive. If only the queen lives, for instance, a colony cannot survive, as she cannot produce honey or pollinate flowers on her own.Ī honey bee colony is an organized society of three adult castes: queens, workers and drones. The life span of a honey bee colony depends upon the survival of a variety of bees within it. However, the death of a generation of workers does not cause the entire colony to perish. Worker honey bees have a life span of only six weeks during honey production seasons, when they are extremely active foraging for food, storing nectar, feeding larvae and producing honey. The life span of a honey bee depends on various factors. ![]()
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