Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
have bees, and the national agricultural sector and the countryside commissions
rely totally on these bees. The fewer the commercial beekeepers there are, the more
hobbyists are needed to keep these vital sectors going.
Honey-bees are not domestic animals. They are wild and, unlike horses and cows and
other livestock, they don't recognize beekeepers as their 'owners'. Having said that,
recent research has shown that, despite the small size of its brain, a bee can recognize
human faces if trained to do so and can remember them for two days. Scientists hope
that, by studying this amazing ability further, they will be able to develop better face-
recognition computer software. It is unlikely, however, that the average beekeeper will
find their bees flocking to them on sight.
Bees (like other insects) are assumed to act on instinct alone. However, they can also
'learn' - and not only learn a primary task but they can also learn and remember a
secondary task resulting from the first. Like most other life forms, their daily life
involves family (colony) survival and the propagation of their species.
To accomplish this, bees manufacture wax as a building material and honey as an energy
food. They also collect pollen as a protein food. They produce propolis to use as a glue,
a gap filler and an antibiotic and anti-viral varnish for the nest. They manufacture a
highly complex venom to deter predators, including beekeepers, and complex arrays
of pheromones that regulate life in the hive. Finally, they produce royal jelly - a highly
nutritious substance with which to feed their brood, and they even produce silk to
cocoon themselves in during their larval/pupal development. In short, they are master
chemists, able to manufacture or collect and alter everything needed for their survival.
