Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
will, in a sense, downsize its population. They preserve worker larvae the longest and
remove the oldest drone larvae from the nest first. They simply pull them out and lit-
erally eat them outright, conserving the protein, or carry them outside. If the shortage
continues, they remove younger and younger drone larva.
At the end of the season, the colony no longer invests in drones at all. The queen
ceases laying drone eggs, (for more information on “drone-laying queen” see pages 57
and 129), and the workers forcibly expel all or most of the adult drones. Outside the
nest they starve or die of exposure.
Seasonal Changes
To begin, imagine three generalized temperature regions: cold, moderate, and warm.
The warmest areas are semi- to near tropical; warm regions are moderate, with winter
temperatures of around 50°F (10°C); and cold regions have winters falling to -20°F
(-7°C) or colder.
In late winter, when the days begin to lengthen, the queen begins or increases her
egg-laying rate. In warm-winter areas, Italian queens slowed down over winter but
probably didn't cease laying eggs. Carniolans and Caucasians probably did stop.
Worker bees consume stored pollen and honey to produce both royal and worker
jelly to feed the brood, and as the population increases, so does the need for food. With-
in a month in warm areas, early nectar and pollen sources become available to supple-
ment stored food.
Here, a queen, worker, and drone are pictured. Note that the queen, shown at top, has a
long, tapered abdomen. Surrounding the queen are typical workers, which are smaller
and have striped abdomens. In the center is a drone. He is larger than the workers.
Note the distinctive large eyes.
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