Honeybees live in highly organized colonies, with worker bees forming the vast majority of the population. These female bees are not reproductively active, but they are primary contributors to the hive’s operation and survival. Their lives progress through various tasks, each suited to their age and physiological development, ensuring the efficient functioning of the colony.
Initial Hive Duties
A worker bee’s life begins with tasks performed inside the hive during her first few days after emerging. She immediately begins cleaning empty cells, preparing them for new eggs or stored resources. This cell cleaning can be a collaborative effort.
As she matures, usually between 3 and 12 days old, the worker bee transitions into the role of a nurse bee. Nurse bees feed and care for developing larvae, providing them with a specialized diet. They produce royal jelly, a nutrient-rich secretion from their hypopharyngeal glands, for the youngest larvae and the queen.
Worker bees also serve as attendants to the queen, typically from 7 to 12 days of age. These attendants groom, feed, and tend to the queen’s needs, which allows her to focus on egg-laying. Their interactions also help distribute queen mandibular pheromone throughout the hive, a chemical signal that helps regulate colony behavior.
Another early-life responsibility involves sanitation, with some bees acting as “undertaker bees” to remove dead bees and debris from the hive. Undertaker bees respond to chemical cues from deceased bees, carrying them away from the hive to prevent pathogen buildup.
Wax production and comb building are also undertaken by young worker bees. Their wax glands are most developed and productive when they are between 12 and 18 days old. Bees consume a significant amount of honey to produce wax, and they require a hive temperature of 30-37°C to properly secrete and manipulate it.
Intermediate Hive Roles
As worker bees continue to mature, typically from around 10 to 20 days old, their responsibilities shift to more complex tasks within the hive.
Food Processing and Storage
Worker bees ripen nectar into honey by fanning their wings to evaporate water. They also process pollen into bee bread, storing these vital resources in honeycomb cells.
Hive Ventilation
Maturing bees regulate the hive’s temperature and humidity using their wings. This fanning behavior is crucial for brood development and honey preservation, often maintaining a stable internal environment around 35°C (95°F).
Guard Duty
Some worker bees protect the hive entrance from intruders. They identify colony members by scent, preventing other bees or predators from entering. This role often involves using their stingers to defend the colony, a sacrifice that typically results in the bee’s death.
Orientation Flights
Before fully transitioning to external foraging, worker bees undertake short “orientation flights.” These flights allow them to learn the landmarks surrounding the hive, helping them navigate when they begin collecting resources.
Transition to Foraging
The final stage of a worker bee’s life, usually beginning after 20 days old, involves tasks performed outside the hive. This period is often the most demanding and risky, as bees are exposed to predators and environmental hazards. These external duties are crucial for the colony’s sustenance and continued growth.
Foraging Tasks
Water collection: Worker bees bring water back to the hive for hydration, to dilute stored honey, and for temperature regulation.
Pollen collection: Pollen serves as the primary protein source for the colony, especially for feeding developing brood. Worker bees have specialized “pollen baskets” on their hind legs to carry pollen.
Nectar collection: Foraging bees collect nectar from flowers, transporting it back to the hive in their honey stomach. Other worker bees then process the nectar into honey.
Propolis collection: Worker bees collect propolis, a resinous substance from plants, used for hive maintenance, sealing cracks, and as a natural antimicrobial agent.
A small percentage of foragers become scout bees, searching for new food sources or potential new nest sites. These scout bees communicate resource locations to other foragers through “waggle dances” upon their return.
Underlying Factors for Job Progression
The age-based progression of a worker bee’s duties, known as temporal polyethism, is influenced by physiological changes and hormonal regulation. As a bee ages, her body undergoes developments that make her suitable for different tasks. For instance, glands producing royal jelly are most active in younger bees, while flight muscles develop in older bees, preparing them for foraging.
Hormonal regulation plays a role in task allocation. Juvenile hormone (JH) levels are influential; lower levels are associated with in-hive tasks, while increasing JH levels are linked to the transition to foraging behavior.
The colony’s immediate needs also influence a worker bee’s job progression. If there is a sudden demand for more foragers due to losses, younger bees may accelerate their development and begin foraging earlier than usual. This adaptability ensures the colony can respond to changing environmental conditions or internal stresses.
This age-based division of labor optimizes the colony’s efficiency and resource utilization. By specializing in tasks appropriate for their age and physical capabilities, worker bees contribute to the overall health and productivity of the hive.