The Worker Bees

honeybee on aster, originally uploaded by Ransome.

The worker bees of the hive have numerous chores. They build, defend, and feed the hive. They also are the nursery brigade for the hive. The duties of the worker bees follow a certain sequence which is dependent on the age of the bee. At first all of the tasks of the adult worker are indoor tasks. These duties include: building additions to the hive, storing food, ventilating the hive by fanning with their wings, guarding the portals of the hive, and regulating the hive temperature through muscular activity. As she continues to age her duties take her outside of the hive.

The individual indoor tasks of the worker bee are also dependant upon the age of the bee. In an early stage of her life the duties of the worker include nursery duty. Nursery duty includes rearing and feeding of the larvae. God has prepared the worker bee for this all important task. During this stage of her life her pharyngeal glands begin to function. These glands produce the all important royal jelly. During the first two or three days of the larval stage of the honey bee, the royal jelly is fed to all castes of the hive. After two or three days, if the female larvae is to be reared as a worker, the diet will be changed to honey and pollen. The diet of the male larvae is also changed to honey and pollen. If a female larvae is to be reared as a queen it will continue to be fed royal jelly until the time of her pupation. It is interesting that there is no difference in the egg, larva, or environment that produces a queen bee. During the first few days of the larval stage all female larvae are the same. It is solely the diet that will determine if the larvae is to develop into a worker or a queen bee. The diet of royal jelly will cause the female to emerge from the larval stage as a queen.

For everything there is a time. Sometime later in the life of the worker bee the secretion of royal jelly will cease. The task of the worker will change as glands on the underside of her abdomen begin to secrete wax. The bee’s wax is the comb building material of the hive. The required comb building of the hive is primarily performed by the workers in this secreting stage. As the worker ages her duties continue to change. During the last few weeks of her life she becomes a forager. She will search the meadows for floral food. Her range of foraging may extend to several miles.