[Seasons: Spring XVIII]
I’m still thinking about bees and the calculated roles they fulfill. Here’s the first half.
Continuing on...
Guard -keeping out anything that doesn’t belong in the hive is the job of a guard. These bees protect the entrance of the hive from intruders. Winnie the Pooh was definitely stung by a guard bee.
Honey Maker - they collect the nectar that the mature field bees bring back to the hive, put it into cells, and transform it into honey. One of the critical steps is to fan the honey with their wings to reduce moisture to an optimal 16 to 18 percent.
Queen’s attendant - exactly as their title indicates, these bees meet the grooming and feeding needs of the Queen, as she is too busy reproducing. It’s a prestigious job given to a select few worker bees.
Queen - she lives up to five years and lays thousands of eggs a day. Part of her job is to discern which type of egg should be laid and where it should be located. The only time she will leave the hive is to mate as a virgin bee.
Drones - they get a bad wrap because they don’t carry their weight in the work of the hive. Rightfully so! They eat the honey but don’t produce any; they take up residence in the hive but don’t repair it when thins break down; they don’t even clean up after themselves. Their role, however, is equally important: they assure genetic posterity. In other words, they are “fruitful and multiply” outside the hive community with neighboring queens.
Spring marks the start of work season in the hive. Without strategic planning and constant communication, a hive with 20,000 bees would make a lot of noise and zero progress. But as an orchestrated community, it’s a natural marvel.
