Honey bees play an important role in pollinating 80% of insect crops. There are several species of honey bees including the rock bee, little bee, Indian bee, European/Italian bee, and stingless bee. Honey bees have chewing mouthparts, antennae, membranous wings, legs adapted for pollen collection, and females have a sting. They undergo complete metamorphosis from egg to larva to pupa to adult. Honey bee colonies consist of a queen, workers, and drones with different morphologies and roles. Honey bees communicate through dancing, collect nectar and pollen through foraging, and produce honey through food storage and processing. Apiculture involves beekeeping techniques like using movable frames

1. Honey bee: A teacher of humanity
80% of insect crop pollination is accomplished by bees

3. • Chewing and lapping type of mouth part:
• Antenna: Geniculate type(Elbow like)
• Type of wings: Membranous
• (Hymenoptera, Hymen+ membrane, ptera=
wings)
• Types of legs: Pollen collecting (Pollen basket
and pollen comb)
• Sting= modified ovipositor (Ovi= ova= eggs,
positor= depositor)
• Metamorphosis= Complete metamorphosis
• Egg- Young ones(Larva- grub)- Pupa- Adult
• Bee is a social insect

5. Different species of bees:
1. The rock bee
2. The little bee
3. The Indian bee
4. The European bee/ Italian bee- Prof. Atwal
5. The Dammer bee/ Stingless bee
6. The Himalayan bee

6. Species of honey bee
• Rock bee: (Apis dorsata)

7. • 1. Size: Largest species of the honey bees
• 2. No. of comb- It builds single comb (Size of
the comb- 6 ft long and 3 ft deep)
• 3. Honey collection capacity: 37 kg/ year/
colony
• 4. It is undomesticated (wild) species
• 5. Behaviour- ferocious and irritable, typical
type of hive (comb), habit of deserting the
hives often.
• 6. Place- Generally construct hive on the
branches of trees, along sides of steep rocks
and wall/ other parts of building.

8. • Little bee: (Apis florea)

9. • 1. Size-
• 2. No of comb/s:
• 3. Honey collection capacity: 0.5 kg/ year/
colony
• 4. Undomesticated species
• 5. Behaviour: calm, frequently change their
places
• 6. Place: branches of bushes, hedges, caves,
empty cases etc.

10. • Indian bee: (Apis indica/ A. cerana indica)

11. • 1. Size:
• 2. No. of comb/s- constructs many parallel
combs
• 3. 5 kg/year/ colony
• Domesticated
• They are more prone to swarming and
absconding
• Builds combs on trees and cavities in darkness.

12. • European/ Italian bee: (Apis mellifera)

13. • Size-
• No. of comb/s
• Honey collection capacity: 45- 180 Kg/ year/
col.
• Domesticated
• Behaviour- Swarm less,
• Good honey gathering capacity, suitable for
Indian climatic conditions
• Places- cavities

14. • Stingless bee/ Dammer bee (Trigona iridipennis):

15. • Size- it is different from the four species of
bees in appearance and habits.
• It is tiny with vestigial sting
• The comb is made up of a dark material
known as cerumen (it is a mixture of wax and
earth / resin)
• Very honey gathering capacity (100 grams/
year/ col.)
• Domesticated
• Honey is useful in ayurvedic medicines.

16. Morphology of bee

17. • Head:
• Triangular, Drone’s head is larger than queen and worker
• Compound eyes and simple eyes
• Ommatidia-

18. • No. of ommatidia-
• Queen- 4000
• Worker- 5000
• Drone - 8000

19. Bee Vision
Human: 700- 400 nm range of spectrum
Bee: 600- 300 nm range of spectrum
400-300 nm range includes ultraviolet light

20. • Antenna:
• Geniculate:
• Flagellar sub-segments
• Female 10, Male 11 (sexual dimorphism)
• Function: sense organ- tactile, olfactory, taste, even hearing

21. Mouthpart
• Chewing and lapping type:
• Lapping tongue/ proboscis: maxilla + labium
Chewing and biting type

22. • Labrum- flap like-
• Mandibles- broad at the base and apex and
narrowed in the middle, covered with hairs
• Maxillae (Paired structure)
• Labium
Maxillo – labial complex/
lapping tongue
Temporary feed canal: glossa, labial palpi and
galea

23. Wings and wing coupling mechanism
A: hooks/ hamuli (25 hooks)
B: groove
Hamulate type of wing coupling:

24. • Fore wings- mesothorax
• Hind wings- metathorax

25. Leg

28. • Wax Glands: 4 pairs of wax gland- ventral side
of abdomen.
• 4-7th abdominal segments
• Oval polished area separated by a median
space called as wax plates/ was mirror
• Wax is removed by hind basitarsus then it is
taken off by mandibles.

29. • Sting: modified ovipositor supplied with
poison.
• INSTRUMENT OF DEFENCE.
• Stings are associated with accessory glands
found in female and these accessory glands
are modified for the secretion of venom.

30. Internal Anatomy
• 1. Digestive System

32. • Crop- honey stomach
• Nectar get converted into honey in the
presence of invertase
• Sucrose-------------- levulose and dextrose
• Proventriculus
• Stomodeal valve- prevent the regurgitation of
food from ventriculus to foregut
• Ventriculus/ Mid gut
• Malpighian tubules-
• Pyloric valve-

33. • Salivary glands-
• Two pairs
• Cephalic salivary gland- head region
• Thoracic salivary gland

34. Circulatory System

35. Respiratory system
• Tracheal System: 10 pairs of spiracles
• Trachea- Spiracle

36. • Nervous system:
• Central nervous system- Brain
• Ganglia-
• Nerve-
• Neuron-
• Synapse-

38. • Reproductive System:
• Female reproductive system- 8-9 seg. Of
abdomen
• Male reproductive system- 9th ab. Segment
• Spermatheca-
• Excretory system:

40. • Propodeum- fusion 1st seg of abdomen +
metathorax
• Petiole- 2nd seg of abdomen in bees is greatly
constricted at its union with propodeum
• Gaster- part of abdomen behind the
propodeum
• Female- 6 exposed segments
• Male- 7 exposed segments

41. • Mandibular glands- paired structure
• Position- at the base of mandibles
• Outlets communicate with a groove and
channel in mandibles
• Function- secretion is supposed to be used for
softening of wax.

42. • Lateral Pharyngeal gland-
• Position- head region
• Function- production of royal jelly/ bee milk
• Feeder bees-
• Well developed in worker, vestigial in queen
and absent in drone

43. Foraging
• Act of collection of pollen, nectar, propolis and
water by outdoor bees.
• Forager bees/ Foraging bees-
• 6.30- 8.00 am
• Scout bees/ searcher bee- the bees that go
out first to find out the new source of nectar,
pollen etc.
• Reticent bees- 50- 90%
• Dancing language of bees-

44. Round dance
100 mt distance from hive

45. Wagtail dance
More than 100 m. distance upto 1.5 km

46. • Scent gland- 5-6 abdominal segment
• Temperature range for foraging- 25-27 0C
• 35% of its body weight
• 6000 trips for collection of 500- 1000 mg of
pollen
• Karl von Frisch- Nobel prize - 1973

47. Evolution of social life
1. Single queen
2. Work for the mutual benefit of other
3. Hive mind/ Hive odour
4. Storage of food
5. Coordination of activities
6. Trophallaxis
Honey flow season-

48. Honey bee colony

49. • Queen: cell is constructed at lower border of
comb, larger
• Incubation period- laying of eggs- hatching- 3
days
• Larval period- 5 days
• Royal jelly-
• Protein- 15- 18%
• Lipids- 2-6%
• Carbohydrates- 9- 18%
• Ash- .7- 1.2%

50. Life history/ Biology of bees:
• Fertilized eggs- female – queen and worker
• Unfertilized eggs- male- drone
• Spermatheca- function is to store sperm in
viable condition

51. • Pupal stage- 7 days
• Adult stage- 2-3 years
Functions of queen-
Pheromone:
Ectodermal control:

52. • Workers:
• Sterile female
• Cells- situated at lower border of comb
• Hexagonal cells are covered with flat cap
• Life cycle
• Incubation period- 3 days
• Larval period- 4 days
• (1ST DAY- ROYAL JELLY)
• (Remaining three days- bee bread)
• Bee bread- mixture honey and partially
digested pollen

53. • Pupation- 11- 12 days
• Adult- 6- 9 weeks
• Functions-
• Maintaining the hive temp- 33- 36 0c- By
nurse bee and older bees

54. • Drones: functional males
• Unfertilized eggs
• Drone cells (larva) are covered with convex
cap with central hole.
• INCUBATION FPERIOD: 3 DAYS
• Larval period- 7 days
• (First 3 days- royal jelly, remaining 4 days- bee
bread)
• Pupation- 13 days
• Adult- 60 days
• Functions-

55. • Colony of bee is consist of three different castes-
• Queen (Functional female)
• Worker (Sterile female/ imperfectly developed
female)
• Drone (Functional male)
• Average size- it consist of 20,000- 30,000
members
• Queen-1
• Drones- few hundred
• Worker- 90% of population

56. QUEEN BEE
• Queen cells are formed
during Jan-Feb.
• Larva excessively fed on
royal jelly becomes the
queen.
• Queen survives for 2-3
years.

57. QUEEN BEE
• Queen lays 1000-1500 eggs
per day as per the
requirement.
• Queen regulates life in the
hive and acts as the leader
of the colony.
• It is fed on royal jelly and is
guarded by a few worker
bees.
• Young queens are preferred
over old ones.

58. Selection of Queen
• Young queen is
preferred over the old
ones to maintain
healthy colony.
• Young queen has the
abdomen straight and
shining while, in old
queen it is bent and dull
coloured.
• Old queen show rat
tailed movements.

59. WORKER BEE
Longevity: 6 wks-6months

60. • Life span- 6 weeks
• First 3 weeks- indoor duties- workers are
called as indoor workers
• Second 3 weeks- Outdoor duties- workers are
called as outdoor workers- Foraging
• Foraging- act of collection nectar, pollen,
water and propolis by outdoor bees/ foraging
bees.

61. DRONES

62. Drone management
• Drones are tolerated by
workers till queen is
mated.
• Once queen is mated
they are driven out
after tearing their
wings.
• Drone trap can be used
to remove drones.

63. Life cycle

64. Mouth part

65. Sting

66. Bee Sting
Bee stings when;
• Adverse weather prevails,
• Queen cells are formed,
• Colony remains queen less for long time,
• Shaking bees off the frame,
• Any bee is injured while inspecting the box.

67. Honey bee language
(Dancing language)

68. Apiculture
• Apiary:
• History:
• Sushrutha Samhita- about medicinal importance
of honey
• “ MY SON, EAT THOU HONEY BECAUSE IT IS
GOOD AND THE HONEY COMB BECAUSE IT IS
SWEET A TO THE TASTE”
• Bee – tea:
• Honey – tea:

69. • Migratory beekeeping: Egypt
• Boxes :
• Bee space: it is the space between two frames
for bees to move about conveniently between
the frames and it is too small to encourage
bees for building the comb.
• Langstroth: 1851-
• 0.63 cm- A. indica
• 0.79 cm A. mellifera
• Movable frames:

70. • Pot hive:
• Fr. Newton: 1919:
• 1875- First World War- Golden ag of bee
keeping

71. Bee hive

72. • Brood:

75. Thank you