Last weekend, I had the opportunity to experience something
magical. Normally, I don’t like to use that word because, well, that’s not very
scientific; but there’s no denying the enchantment that I felt as I stood in
the midst of several thousand honey bees. Though I felt their presence, the
bees were too hard at work to notice me. Luckily, local science teacher,
beekeeper and owner of Dancing Bee Honey Farm, LLC, Dan Curran was there to translate
the magic of the bees and what it is that makes these amazing insects such an
integral part of our society.
Beekeeper Dan Curran explaining the magic of the bees
Life in an Apiary:
Down
a rolling hill, past a wooded area, right on the edge of a farm sits an
enchanted apiary. Home to more than 50,000 bees during the summer months, this
apiary is strangely peaceful. Only the low humming sound of the bees can be
heard. It’s a beautiful sunny day in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin and standing in the
midst of the bees, there’s a feeling that I’m witnessing something truly
magnificent.
The
warm, woody smell of smoke is in the air as beekeeper Dan Curran tends to his
colonies using a smoker. This device, which simply emits a bit of natural wood
smoke, helps to mask the bee’s natural alert pheromones, which could be
triggered, even by Curran’s gentle inspection.
The golden bees
are a mix of Italian (Apis mollifier ligustica) and Carniolan (Apis mellifera carnicaare), both of which are, by nature, fairly unaggressive. Though
each of the seven recognized subspecies of honey bees has their own unique set
of skills, Curran feels that the Italian and Carniolan allow for a good mix of
attributes. Regardless of their origins, Curran has created a beautiful home
for these bees where several colonies live in peace. Curran, who regularly
visits the apiary to ensure that the bees are disease free and have enough food
diligently looks after each colony, which is the term for a group of bees
living in a hive.
Living in Southern Wisconsin, the bees have
access to plenty of pollen during warmer months, which helps with the overall
health of the bees. Though there are occasionally cases of disease or “honey
robbery” between colonies during times of famine, Curran is able to limit these
types of issues in his hives by placing his apiary in an area with many sources
of nectar. In fact, the mixture of suburban and rural foraging area near Blue
Mounds allows the bees to collect nectar from sources such as basswood, black
locust, clover and alfalfa. This results in a lightly colored summer honey with
a sweet, floral flavor. As the nectar decreases in the area, a darker honey will
become present in the fall. This can also be harvested, but Curran chooses to
leave this for the bees in order to ensure their survival through the winter.
Of
course, as anyone who has lived through a Wisconsin winter knows, the weather
can be brutal. Luckily, thanks to the bee’s natural instinct and Curran’s
vigilant care, the hives have successfully thrived for over ten years.
So what is it that makes bees so uniquely
resilient?
All for One and One for All
The simple answer is evolution and teamwork. In terms of
evolution, bees are perhaps one of the most efficient beings on the planet.
Their entire lifecycle is perfectly timed to allow for their survival under a
range of conditions. A part of their efficiency is also their social structure.
Honey bees are social beings that rely on each other to survive. Each member of
the hive has his or her own role, all of which are essential to the survival of
the hive. Essentially, there are three types of bees in a hive at any given
time during the warm months.
At the top
of the social structure is the queen bee. The other bees fiercely protect her
so she is generally hard to see, but if you spot her you will note that she is
slightly longer and larger than the other bees in the hive. Though she is, in a
way, a leader, her main role is to reproduce since she is the only sexually
mature female in the hive. In the case of managed bees, a queen bee is
generally purchased when a new colony is started. Honey bees are, however, able
to raise their own queen as well. In fact, a queen bee only lives about three
to five years. So, when a colony is in need of a new queen, the worker bees
know just what to do.
Workers,
which are the bees you generally see pollinating flowers, are the caretakers of
the hive. They are responsible for gathering pollen and nectar, making the
honey to feed the hive and rearing the brood, or baby bees. So, when the worker
bees find that they need a new queen, they simply select one of the fertilized
eggs that the queen has laid and feed it something called royal jelly. They
will also construct a special cell around the queen egg, which is quite
different from the hexagonal shape that is so commonly associated with honey
bees.
Of course,
in order to develop this queen, the worker bees need a fertilized egg. Since
worker bees are all female, drones, or male bees are needed to complete the
cycle. So, when spring arrives and the
queen is ready to mate, the worker bees raise drones, which are essentially
unfertilized eggs. Drones can be easily picked out in a hive because they are darker,
have slightly larger heads and do not have stingers. Though each hive has a
number of drones, Curran says that the queen will generally avoid mating with
her own drones to avoid inbreeding.
Instead,
when a queen bee is ready to mate, she flies to a place where drones are
congregating. It seems that how they all end up in the same place is not well
understood but it is likely related to pheromones. In any case, once they
arrive at the breeding location, the queen flies as high as she can in the sky
with the drones following close behind. In theory, the fittest drones are able
to reach the queen and mate. During this time it is estimated that each queen
mates with approximately 15 drones, which allows her to return to the hive and
lay thousands of fertilized eggs over her lifetime.
Tenacity and Teamwork:
At this
point it’s probably quite clear that the lifecycle of the bee is completely
dependent on the teamwork that results from their social structure. So, it’s
not surprising that this teamwork is also what allows the bees to survive harsh
winters or times of famine. Applying their famous efficiency, bees begin
preparing for the winter months as soon as the temperatures and the nectar and
pollen sources begin to drop. Of course, this preparation includes the storage
of that dark honey we discussed earlier but it also means the bees begin to
reduce their population. Sensing the impending food shortage, the worker bees minimize
the brood to keep the population down. During the summer months a high
population is needed since the physically demanding life of a worker bee means
they only live for a few months at best. During the fall and winter, however,
foraging will come to a halt and many workers will not be needed. Keeping the
population is also more efficient in terms of food use and as we’ve discussed,
bees are nothing if not efficient. Finally, in a unique attempt at efficiency,
the worker bees will begin ostracizing the drones from the hive. As we
discussed above, drones do not contribute to the food supply, and in fact, are
said to eat quite a lot. Additionally, they are really only needed for
reproduction, which does not take place in the winter months. So, overall, it
is by a natural efficiency in evolution that the drones die over the winter and
replaced by a new group of males in the spring when the hives become more
active.
Perhaps the most
amazing story in terms of the bee’s teamwork and tenacity however, is their
ability to survive a Wisconsin winter. A
single bee, like many insects is essentially exothermic, or cold-blooded
meaning that it has a slim chance of surviving winter. But, when a colony comes
together in a cluster, they are able to create and conserve heat. Here’s how it
happens…
Curran says
that as the temperature drops bees become torpid. This is a state similar to
hibernation, but the bees are able to eat or leave the hive to defecate as
needed. The benefit of this state is that it conserves energy, which allows
food supplies to last long. During this state the bees also need to stay warm
so they cling together in a cluster within the hive, slightly moving their
muscles in order to generate heat. An honorary member of the apiary, Curran
also puts a special cover over each colony that helps to insulate the hive so
that, ideally, when the temperatures rise and the flowers bloom, the bees will be
at it again.
A group of bees hard at work preparing for the winter
Part of the Team:
Walking away
from the apiary that day I was reminded of a quote I have posted in my office
from the writer Flannery O’Connor. It says, “It's not so much how busy you are,
but why you are busy. The bee is praised. The mosquito is swatted.” There is
something so very selfless, yet meaningful about the work of the bee. Perhaps
it is that work ethic or perhaps it’s their loyalty to the hive that has
inspired humans for centuries. Or, perhaps it’s that they’ve allowed us to
become a part of their team. From their role in pollinating our crops to the
connection between a beekeeper and his or her bees, there’s no denying that
bees have become our muse and our partner. And, certainly, there’s something
magical about that.
Where Can I Learn More?
Dane County Beekeepers Association: www.madbees.org
Dancing Bee Honey Farm, LLC: http://www.dancingbeehoneyfarm.com
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