Description
The majority of honey bee stings result in severe pain and swelling. A string, however, can result in symptoms that are more extensive if the sufferer has a bee venom allergy. Most gravely, symptoms can involve breathing problems and collapse. If a person has a history of bee venom allergies, the sting should be extracted and a compressive immobilised bandage should be put right away. The Environmental Health Department or a Local Beekeeper can make arrangements for the relocation of a honey bee swarm if you are having a problem with one.
Appearance
- Honey bee individuals are about 12 mm long, about the same size as European wasps.
- Honey Bees are primarily black with grey lines and a furious abdomen.
- The queen is bigger than the males and has smaller wings and a longer abdomen.
- Its drone is also bigger than the workforce, has a bigger body and broader wings and eyes, and lacks a stinger.
- Honey bees fiercely protect their nest. A bee’s lower abdomen gets torn out when it stings, which is a lethal process. The sufferer still has the sting and the pulsing venom gland.
Lifecycle
- The typical insect life cycle for bees includes an egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Each of these is maintained in a hive for most of the year.
- Fertilised eggs grow into worker bees. They take about 21 days to develop and have a 45-day lifespan. If the colony loses its queen, workers may lay unfertilized eggs.
- When female larvae, which would otherwise develop into a worker, are nourished by a special food named royal jelly, queens are produced. Queens typically have 3-5 years of life.
- A queen tends to stay in the hive until the colonists need to swarm, at which point she returns to the outside world to mate with drones.
- Whenever a queen lays male, unfertilized eggs, drones are created. Their development takes 24 days.
Habits:
- Normal locations for honey bee hives include hollow trees, wall crevices, and roof spaces. They can create nests that hang from tree branches as well.
- Frequently, a colony contains more than 30,000 bees. Worker bees construct the honeycomb cell lines for the eggs, clean the hive, keep it secure, forage for pollen and nectar, and feed the brood.
- Colonies will occasionally swarm to new locations. Since there are no babies to defend, they are not hostile.
- Honey bees consume pollen and plant nectar as food. Through unique glands in their abdomens, they expel honey and secrete beeswax.
- Propolis, a substance made of plant resins blended with beeswax and honey, is another product made by honey bees. This serves as both a disinfectant and a sealant for hive cracks and holes.