In this article we will discuss about the social behaviour of honeybees.
Honeybees have developed one of the most highly organised societies. They live in colonies. The colonies of the honeybees are perennial and a good colony of honeybee may consist of 50,000 to 80,000 individuals. It comprises of one fertile female or the queen, a few hundreds of male bees or drones and the rest are sterile females or workers.
The queen lays the eggs which develops into new workers, drones and queens. She also emits a complex series of chemical secretions, the pheromones that regulate much of the behaviour of the workers. Both queen and worker are genetically diploid. Queens, however, are fed a special rich larval food; a white, foamy, yogurt-like royal jelly.
It is necessary for normal queen size and sexual development. Workers too, can develop into sexually reproducing females, but their reproductive organs are kept undeveloped through the effect of the queen’s pheromones. Drones are genetically haploid and are produced by the laying of unfertilized eggs by parthenogenesis. Drones are generally produced at the same time as the new queen.
A. Worker:
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The worker honeybee (Fig. 5.29) is the smallest member of the colony. It is black or brown in colour and its mouth parts are of the rasping and lapping type, to facilitate the collection of nectar and pollen. The legs are covered with hair and are adapted for gathering pollen.
The mesothoracic legs bear a pollen brush and a spine-like pollen spur to remove pollen from pollen baskets. The metathoracic legs has a depression called the pollen basket. The last four visible segments of the abdomen have modified cells on the ventral surface that secretes wax, which is essential for making the hive.
