The document summarizes the life cycle and roles of bees in a colony. It describes that the queen lays eggs, larvae grow and molt inside cells, pupating for 9 days before emerging as adult bees. The three types of bees are the queen, who reproduces; workers, who clean and feed; and drones, whose sole role is to mate. Bees live cooperatively in colonies, with division of labor, communication through dancing, and populations that can reach 40,000-80,000 in mid-summer. Their pollination is crucial for many fruits and vegetables.

1. A Bee’s Life so what’s the
Buzz all about???

2. The Life Cycle of the Bee….
1. The queen lays each egg in a different cell of the honeycomb.
2. As soon as the egg is laid, the larva is growing inside it.
3. After three days, the egg hatches and a larva crawls out.
4. As the larva grows, it sheds its skin. It does this five times.
5. Eight days after hatching, the bee larva is fully grown
6. The larva cannot feed anymore and it starts to change into a
pupa.
7. After nine days, the pupa changes colour. It has turned into an
adult.
8. When it's about three to four weeks old, the bee will leave the
hive.

3. History of the Bee-Keeper
Beekeeping started in 1878, when
the Langstroth hive began to be
used in New Zealand. The hive is
made up of stacks of boxes that
slide out like trays. In these trays,
bees build their honeycombs and There were about 100,000 hives in
deposit honey. New Zealand by the end of the
1920s. Beekeeping flourished
After the world wars a number of again after the Second World War,
returned servicemen took up and in 1950 there were some
beekeeping and the industry thrived. 7,000 beekeepers with 150,000
The demand for honey and other hives. By 1988 there were 335,000
bee products has continued to grow. hives, partly due to the demand
for pollination services, and also
Today, hives are mostly run by large because of the market for a
companies rather than individuals. broader range of honey types and
products.

4. Let’s go meet the
Queen!
T he queen bee is the most
important bee in the hive. She is the
bee that births all other bees that live
in the hive. She is nurtured to queen
status by being fed a special diet. The
queen has to battle other bees
before she is the only reproducing
female left in the hive. Queen bees
live a life like no other bee.

5. So Why are Bees so Important ??
Bees are really, really important for the pollination
of all our fruits and berries and many of our
vegetables gardens. They don’t need us, but we
certainly need them. Worldwide their numbers are
on the decline due to disease and other factors.

7. Can we survive without Bee’s?
• No because they are good for the
environment
• No because they pollinate the flowers
• No because we need honey
• No because people make a living for them
• No because we need medicine
• No because they are good to learn about

8. The role of the Bee’s in the Colony
There are about 20,000 different species
of bees in the world. Bees live in colonies
and there are three types of bees in each
colony. There is the queen bee, the worker
bee and the drone. The worker bee and
the queen bee are both female, but only
the queen bee can reproduce. All drones
are male. Worker bees clean the hive,
collecting pollen and nectar to feed the
colony and they take care of the offspring.
The drone’s only job is to mate with the
queen. The queen’s only job is to lay eggs.

9. Why do Bee’s live in Colonies?
A colony generally contains one breeding female, or
“queen” a few thousand males, or “drones”; and a
large population of sterile female “worker” bees. The
population of a healthy hive in mid-summer can
average between 40,000 and 80,000 bees. The
workers cooperate to find food and use a pattern of
“dancing” to communicate with each other.

10. A Bee’s dizzy day is never done!
Don’t Worry
BEE Happy…