Raising Honey Bees – Different Types of Bees

The Bearded Rooster started raising honey bees last year. We harvested one frame of honey in the fall (about 5 pounds) and shared it with our friends and family. I had no idea what was involved with beekeeping and the roles of the different bees. Sometimes, I can be so naive. I just thought a bee was a bee. 

The hive is a very complex structure where each bee has a job.  

The Queen

We’ve all heard the term “queen bee”. Every hive has one. There are other female bees in the hive but only one queen. The hive does not survive without her. The queen’s job is to produce offspring and direct the hive in their daily chores. You can recognize the queen because she is larger and longer than the other bees in the hive. Because her body is so large, her wings appear smaller.

The Queen will live between 2-5 years. Herb searches for her each time he opens the hive but doesn’t always find her. As long as the hive is active and making honey and comb, he knows she’s still alive and healthy. Without the queen, the other bees are not sure what to do. 

The queen has about a dozen bees that take care of her, called the queen’s court. Because the queen is so busy, she is unable to care for herself. They clean and feed her and even carry away her excrement. 

The Worker Bee

The worker bees are all females but they do not lay eggs. They keep the inside of the hive clean, feed the other bees, collect pollen and make beeswax. The worker bees also control the temperature of the hive (around 95 degrees). They live about 6 weeks so the queen is constantly laying eggs.  There are several different types of worker bees. 

The house bees keep the hive clean. They remove dead bees and take them away from the hive. If the dead bee is sick, she wants to make sure it doesn’t spread throughout the hive. 

Nurse bees take care of the brood by feeding the babies. 

Builder bees or architect bees secrete wax and build combs plus repairs any damaged comb. They build the living quarters and the work areas.  

Honey makers collect pollen and nectar from returning bees forager bees. 

Field bees or forager bees are the pollinators in the hive. They will fly in a 3-mile radius from the hive to collect nectar and pollen. They drop off their findings to the honey makers and then they go back out to collect more. 

The Guard Bee guards the entrance to the hive to protect against other insects that try to rob the hive of the honey. Honey bees die after stinging mammals but can sting other insects over and over. When a honey bee stings you, the stinger stays in your skin and rips off the bee, which includes part of the bee’s abdomen and intestinal tract, causing death. However, with other insects, this doesn’t happen. 

The Drone

The drone bees are male and don’t have stingers. Their job is to mate with the neighboring queens. They don’t do any work and many times in the fall, the worker bees will kill off the drones so there are more resources for the hive to make it through winter. 

Swarm 

When your hive has run out of space, the worker bees start to prepare the queen to leave the hive and prepare the brood for a new queen. Since the queen is large, they will start feeding her less so she is able to take flight. Once the conditions are good, she will leave and take half of the bees with her. A new queen will emerge and the old hive should continue to thrive. 

Our hive is getting full so the Bearded Rooster is going to build an additional box and try to split the hive himself. This will, hopefully, keep the queen from leaving and provide us an additional hive (more honey!).

Why Do Beekeepers Wear white

Because most predators are colorful, white is non-threatening to the bees. Avoid wearing bright colors if you are in an area with bees. Bees have an incredible sense of smell and eventually recognize the body odor of their beekeeper. Herb still wears a beekeeper hat but rarely wears his jacket. Only occasionally does he get stung and it’s usually because a bee gets trapped in his clothes or shoes. 

Just remember, bees only sting when trying to defend themselves or the hive. 

How Can You Help the Bees?

Raising honey bees is the obvious answer but if you not ready for that, plant flowers or flowering trees and shrubs. Herbs are also great to plant. This will provide resources for the bees to gather nectar and pollen. Also, don’t use pesticides or herbicides on your lawn and plants. Chemicals in insecticides drift in the wind and end up on your neighbor’s plants and yard. This contaminates the nectar and pollen.

Unsure What to Plant?

Some plants have been bred by people to be pretty. They have more petals and provide less pollen and nectar. Unsure what to plant? Check out pollinator.org where you put in your zipcode and download a planting guide for your area.

Raising honey bees is just another step in living the simple life and becoming more self-sufficient. I’ve made beard butter and beard balm from the beeswax and want to try making lip balm and different healing salves.

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