There are three types of honey bees: workers, drones and queens. Each performs a specific function that contributes to the success and survival of the hive. Although many people fear the honey bee's sting, they offer many benefits.
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Workers
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Workers are sexually immature female honey bees that have stingers. They are responsible for the construction of the hive and its maintenance, a task they perform by generating currents of fresh air with their wings. Honey bee workers are also responsible for protecting, cleaning and feeding the hive's queen and larvae.
Workers roam the skies in search of pollen, which they extract and bring to the hive to store as food. After discovering a new source of food, a worker will return to the hive and perform a dance to let others know of its location.
Queen
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Every honey bee colony has a queen, which is the largest bee in a hive. She is a sexually mature female whose sole purpose is to reproduce.
Honey bee workers designate their queen while she still in the larval stage by encasing the larva in a special cell that is larger and more vertically oriented than others. They feed the queen larva royal jelly, a substance they extract from glands on their heads. This substance causes the larva to become sexually mature.
Queen honey bees can lay up to 2,000 eggs a day. When a hive's queen dies, workers merely select a successor.
Drones
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Drones are male honey bees and do not have stingers. They are slightly larger than worker bees, and their eyes are twice the size of those of other honey bees, giving them enhanced vision.
The main function of drones is to mate with and fertilize the queen. When she is ready, up to 18 drones will mate with the queen in flight. During the spring and summer, hundreds of drones inhabit a hive. In the winter, when food becomes scarce, worker bees often throw the drones out of the hive.
Honey Bee Products
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Workers produce honey by combining the nectar they collect from flowers with certain enzymes and taking out the moisture.
Another popular product of the honey bee is beeswax, which workers produce through glands in their abdomens and use to store honey. People use beeswax in candles, modeling wax, cosmetics, hair products and waxed paper.
Decline
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Scientists say that about half of the worldwide honey bee population has been lost in the last five decades because of pesticides and parasites.
The main threat to honey bees are viruses transmitted by varroa mites and tracheal mites. These viruses lead to deformities in the bees' abdomens and wings, rendering them unable to fly and thus unable to pollinate. This is particularly worrisome for mankind, since honey bees pollinate many of the flowering plants we eat, including broccoli, cucumbers, strawberries, pears, almonds and avocados.
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