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About Queen Bees: Bee Hives, Colony, Royal Jelly And Worker Bees
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Published: August 15, 2007
All royal families are anxious to produce an heir; a goal that manifests itself differently in every kingdom. Under the reign of kings such as Henry VIII, a queen is only as valuable as her ability to give birth to a son. Inside the matriarchy of a bee hive, a queen is successful only if she is able to hatch enough heirs to populate the entire kingdom.
Forget a life of privilege and luxury, though; the truth about queen bees is their responsibilities are just as exhausting as the worker bees'.
About queen bees' reigns, they are often initiated with as much drama as a Shakespearean tragedy. A little background about queen bees rising to power will illustrate this fact. If a queen bee has not been murdered by a rival by the time she is developed, she chews her way out of the beeswax lid on her cell ready to make some noise. Make no mistake; the thing about queen bees is their bite is just as bad as their shrill bark. A violent killing spree to follow should put away any notions about queen bees being prissy. It is survival of the fittest in the bee hive, and everything about queen bees motivates them to claim their throne.
Once in power, the reality about queen bees' sexuality is mating makes up only a small fragment of their childbearing responsibilities. Mating with 12-15 drones on a fair-weathered day is enough to prepare a queen bee for laying around 2,000 eggs before needing another go-around. With the matriarchs working hard to lay eggs, the worker bees buzz about queen bees to meet their every need. Then, after two to three years of public service, queen bees die, leaving the throne for the next generation of aggressive debutantes to fight over.
A bee colony usually develops organically, when an ousted young queen takes some of the bee hive with her elsewhere. However, instrumentally inseminated queen bees are available for purchase in order to create a production bee hive or to introduce a new queen to an already functioning bee colony. Glenn Apiaries 2007 catalog offers highlights about queen bees such as the Minnesota Hygienic Italian Breeder Queens, known for their high levels of honey production, and the Cordovan Italian Breeder Queens, the gentlest variety. Each queen costs $100.
The worker bee population of an existing bee hive is often concerned about queen bees introduced to their community from the outside. There are several do's and don'ts when attempting to improve a colony's productivity by introducing a new queen. For example, allow a bee colony to remain without a queen for a day first. Then, do not open the hive again for a few days so the queen has time to create a brood nest of her own.
Honey production is not the only lucrative thing about queen bees and their colonies. Royal jelly is another hot item that comes out of a hive. Royal jelly is a worker bee secretion used to feed larvae and queen bees, and has been found to provide helpful nutrients to humans. Though claims of health benefits have not yet been proved by scientific study, royal jelly may lower cholesterol, help the immune system, and prevent cancer.
The fascinating details about queen bees and their lifestyle, as well as the goods exported from their kingdoms, are of great value to her human keepers. Learning about queen bees and the complicated relationships within a bee colony are enough to make afternoon soap operas seem tame. And honestly, who can imagine a world without honey?
Sources:
"2007 Catalog." Glenn Apiaries. 19 June 2007. 7 August 2007. http://members.aol.com/queenb95/catalog2006.html.< br />
"Queen Bee." Wikipedia. 31 July 2007. 7 August 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_bee.
"Royal Jelly." The Natural Shopper. 2000-2007. 7 August 2007. http://thenaturalshopper.com/royal-jelly.htm.
"Royal Jelly." Wikipedia. 6 August 2007. 7 August 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_jelly.
Tew, James E. "Honey Bee Queen Management." Ohio State University Horticulture and Crop Science. 7 August 2007. http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2162.html.
About queen bees' reigns, they are often initiated with as much drama as a Shakespearean tragedy. A little background about queen bees rising to power will illustrate this fact. If a queen bee has not been murdered by a rival by the time she is developed, she chews her way out of the beeswax lid on her cell ready to make some noise. Make no mistake; the thing about queen bees is their bite is just as bad as their shrill bark. A violent killing spree to follow should put away any notions about queen bees being prissy. It is survival of the fittest in the bee hive, and everything about queen bees motivates them to claim their throne.
Once in power, the reality about queen bees' sexuality is mating makes up only a small fragment of their childbearing responsibilities. Mating with 12-15 drones on a fair-weathered day is enough to prepare a queen bee for laying around 2,000 eggs before needing another go-around. With the matriarchs working hard to lay eggs, the worker bees buzz about queen bees to meet their every need. Then, after two to three years of public service, queen bees die, leaving the throne for the next generation of aggressive debutantes to fight over.
A bee colony usually develops organically, when an ousted young queen takes some of the bee hive with her elsewhere. However, instrumentally inseminated queen bees are available for purchase in order to create a production bee hive or to introduce a new queen to an already functioning bee colony. Glenn Apiaries 2007 catalog offers highlights about queen bees such as the Minnesota Hygienic Italian Breeder Queens, known for their high levels of honey production, and the Cordovan Italian Breeder Queens, the gentlest variety. Each queen costs $100.
The worker bee population of an existing bee hive is often concerned about queen bees introduced to their community from the outside. There are several do's and don'ts when attempting to improve a colony's productivity by introducing a new queen. For example, allow a bee colony to remain without a queen for a day first. Then, do not open the hive again for a few days so the queen has time to create a brood nest of her own.
Honey production is not the only lucrative thing about queen bees and their colonies. Royal jelly is another hot item that comes out of a hive. Royal jelly is a worker bee secretion used to feed larvae and queen bees, and has been found to provide helpful nutrients to humans. Though claims of health benefits have not yet been proved by scientific study, royal jelly may lower cholesterol, help the immune system, and prevent cancer.
The fascinating details about queen bees and their lifestyle, as well as the goods exported from their kingdoms, are of great value to her human keepers. Learning about queen bees and the complicated relationships within a bee colony are enough to make afternoon soap operas seem tame. And honestly, who can imagine a world without honey?
Sources:
"2007 Catalog." Glenn Apiaries. 19 June 2007. 7 August 2007. http://members.aol.com/queenb95/catalog2006.html.< br />
"Queen Bee." Wikipedia. 31 July 2007. 7 August 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_bee.
"Royal Jelly." The Natural Shopper. 2000-2007. 7 August 2007. http://thenaturalshopper.com/royal-jelly.htm.
"Royal Jelly." Wikipedia. 6 August 2007. 7 August 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_jelly.
Tew, James E. "Honey Bee Queen Management." Ohio State University Horticulture and Crop Science. 7 August 2007. http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2162.html.
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