The Secrets of Bees

Bees possess an intricate and ancient civilization, showcasing a sophisticated society with hierarchies and collective decision-making. Their civilization has endured for over 100 million years, outlasting every dominant species on Earth. Globally, there are over 20,000 bee species, surpassing the combined number of mammal and bird species. Ants, on the other hand, have around 11,000 species with a staggering 10 quadrillion individuals. Honeybees have between 1 to 6 trillion domesticated bees, while wild bee colonies match or even exceed these numbers. Bees and wasps, close relatives, play a crucial role in pollination. Both bees and ants, which emerged 100 million years ago, are among the most successful social insects globally, significantly impacting the environment. Recently, scientists from Princeton University, along with a local naturalist, discovered giant bees believed to be extinct nesting in Indonesia. These female giant bees have unique nesting behavior, residing in termite mounds inside tree trunks and isolating their homes from termites using tree resin. Under macro photography, a bee's body appears as a flawless mechanism supported by a chitinous exoskeleton, akin to fungi. The bee's body is divided into three parts - head, thorax, and abdomen, each with distinct eye and wing structures.

Bees exhibit remarkable flying abilities and possess keen vision. Their wings can detach and fold along their bodies, allowing them to reach speeds of up to 65 mph without a load and 20-30 km/h with a load. Bees have compound eyes with numerous facets, aiding in navigation using the sun and detecting ultraviolet light. Furthermore, their antennae function as olfactory organs, enabling them to smell without inhaling air. The life cycle of bees consists of four stages: egg, larvae, pupa, and adult. The queen lays eggs in individual cells, giving rise to drones and worker bees. Worker bees undergo a well-coordinated development process, fueled by nutrient-rich royal jelly and multiple molting stages. Bees undergo a metamorphosis from larvae to fully developed bees. The larvae undergo a 12-day transformation process, spending up to 9 days inside the cell. The fate of a bee - queen, worker, or drone - is determined by diet and timing. The queen bee's mating and egg-laying process is crucial. After mating, the queen bee stores the sperm of multiple drones for fertilization. She lays eggs in clean, polished cells, increasing egg production during warmer weather. A queen bee can lay more eggs than her body weight during peak periods. With the assistance of worker bees, the queen can lay an average of 150 to 160,000 eggs per season. The fertilization of eggs depends on the queen's movements and the size of the cell. Worker bees progress through various stages, starting as janitors and advancing to constructing honeycombs. As they mature, bees take on different responsibilities, such as feeding, construction, and caring for the larvae.

Bees utilize principles of physics to construct hexagonal combs for efficiency. Initially, cylindrical combs are created and then transformed into a hexagonal shape due to physics. Bees influence the shape by constructing cells at specific angles and adjusting thickness and position. Guard bees play a vital role in safeguarding the hive. They monitor the hive entrance with keen vision and olfactory senses. Guard bees detect intruders based on scent and behavior, taking necessary actions if needed. The alarm system within bee colonies activates a collective defense mechanism. Worker bees respond to the alarm by temporarily becoming guards, sacrificing their lives to defend the colony. Stray bees attempting to join a colony may undergo a customs inspection process, even if they bring resources. Bees gather pollen using electricity and transport it back to the hive. They build up static electricity on their bodies to attract pollen. Bees remove the pollen with specialized brushes on their legs and form small lumps to carry it back to the hive. Bees communicate direction and distance through intricate dances. They utilize a combination of waggle dance and round dance to convey information. The waggle dance encodes both direction and distance to food sources and other locations.

Drones are essential in bee colonies as they are responsible for fertilizing the queen bee. Their primary function is to produce sperm for the queen bee, which involves energy-intensive processes. In addition to this, drones undergo training to enhance their flight skills and endurance to mate with the queen bee at high altitudes and speeds. As the warm season comes to an end and nature provides less nectar, drones are expelled from the hive as they become a burden to the colony. Female bees release alarm pheromones to immobilize and remove drones from the nest. Swarming behavior in bees is triggered by factors such as overcrowding and filled honeycombs. The old Queen leads the swarm to a temporary location before establishing a new colony. During swarming, bees exhibit democratic society behavior by sharing information about different locations and collectively deciding on the best direction to move towards.