UNIT - 3

Honey Bee

Exercise

1. Choose the correct options for the questions below.

a. Which bee contains only 16 chromosomes?

i. Queen bee

ii. Worker bee

iii. Drone bee

iv. Queen and worker bee

b. From where is royal jelly produced?

i. from the gland at the head of queen bee

ii. from the gland at the head of drone

iii. from the gland at the head of worker bee

iv. from the salivary gland of worker

c. Which bee is formed when the larva is fed royal jelly continuously?

i. queen

ii. drone

iii. workers

iv. queen and worker bee

d. Which stage of the bee is shown in the given diagram?

i. egg

ii. larva

iii. pupa

iv. adult

e. Why is honey bee called a social insect?

i. It produces honey.

ii. It helps in pollination in plants.

iii. It lives in colony

iv. It is domesticated insect.

f. When the pollen baskets in the legs of worker bees are broken by certain means, which of the following functions cannot be performed by them?

i. collecting nectar

ii. constructing brood cell

iii. feeding royal jelly to larva

iv. collecting pollen from flower

g. Which of the following is the characteristic of the drone bee?

i. haploid, sterile, medium sized, hairy

ii. haploid, fertile, medium sized, hairy

iii. diploid, sterile, medium sized, smooth

iv. diploid, fertile, medium sized, hairy

h. Where does the queen bee store the sperms received from the drone bee after the nuptial flight?

i. pollen sac

ii. ovary

iii. sperm sac

iv. egg sac

2. Differentiate:

a. Drone and worker bee Drone Bee vs Worker Bee

Drone Bee Worker Bee

1. Male bee, whose primary role is reproduction. 1. Female bee, responsible for various tasks in the hive.

2. Larger than worker bees, with a broad body. 2. Smaller than drones, with a more slender body.

3. Does not have stinger and cannot defend the hive. 3. Has a stinger and can defend the hive if necessary.

4. Drones do not gather nectar or pollen. 4. Worker bees gather nectar, pollen, and water, and also make honey.

5. Drones die after mating with the queen. 5. Worker bees live longer and are responsible for the daily upkeep of the hive.

Drone Bee	Worker Bee
1. Male bee, whose primary role is reproduction.	1. Female bee, responsible for various tasks in the hive.
2. Larger than worker bees, with a broad body.	2. Smaller than drones, with a more slender body.
3. Does not have stinger and cannot defend the hive.	3. Has a stinger and can defend the hive if necessary.
4. Drones do not gather nectar or pollen.	4. Worker bees gather nectar, pollen, and water, and also make honey.
5. Drones die after mating with the queen.	5. Worker bees live longer and are responsible for the daily upkeep of the hive.

b. Queen bee and worker bee Queen Bee vs Worker Bee

Queen Bee Worker Bee

1. The queen bee is the reproductive female in the colony. 1. Worker bees are non-reproductive females responsible for tasks in the hive.

2. The queen is larger than the worker bees. 2. Worker bees are smaller than the queen bee and have a slender body.

3. The queen's main role is to lay eggs to ensure the colony's survival. 3. Worker bees gather nectar, pollen, and water, build honeycombs, and care for the brood.

4. The queen can live up to 5 years, but usually lives around 2-3 years. 4. Worker bees have a much shorter lifespan, usually living only a few weeks to a few months.

5. The queen has a fully developed reproductive system, producing pheromones to control the colony. 5. Worker bees do not lay eggs, and their reproductive system is underdeveloped.

Queen Bee	Worker Bee
1. The queen bee is the reproductive female in the colony.	1. Worker bees are non-reproductive females responsible for tasks in the hive.
2. The queen is larger than the worker bees.	2. Worker bees are smaller than the queen bee and have a slender body.
3. The queen's main role is to lay eggs to ensure the colony's survival.	3. Worker bees gather nectar, pollen, and water, build honeycombs, and care for the brood.
4. The queen can live up to 5 years, but usually lives around 2-3 years.	4. Worker bees have a much shorter lifespan, usually living only a few weeks to a few months.
5. The queen has a fully developed reproductive system, producing pheromones to control the colony.	5. Worker bees do not lay eggs, and their reproductive system is underdeveloped.

c. Queen bee and drone Queen Bee vs Drone Bee

Queen Bee Drone Bee

1. The queen bee is the reproductive female of the hive. 1. Drone bees are the male bees whose primary role is to mate with the queen.

2. The queen bee is larger in size compared to drone bees. 2. Drone bees are larger than worker bees but smaller than the queen bee.

3. The queen bee lays all the eggs in the colony. 3. Drone bees do not lay eggs; their main role is reproduction.

4. The queen has a fully developed reproductive system and lives for several years. 4. Drone bees have underdeveloped reproductive organs and live only a few months.

5. The queen produces pheromones that control the behavior of the hive. 5. Drone bees do not produce pheromones and have no significant influence on the hive's behavior.

Queen Bee	Drone Bee
1. The queen bee is the reproductive female of the hive.	1. Drone bees are the male bees whose primary role is to mate with the queen.
2. The queen bee is larger in size compared to drone bees.	2. Drone bees are larger than worker bees but smaller than the queen bee.
3. The queen bee lays all the eggs in the colony.	3. Drone bees do not lay eggs; their main role is reproduction.
4. The queen has a fully developed reproductive system and lives for several years.	4. Drone bees have underdeveloped reproductive organs and live only a few months.
5. The queen produces pheromones that control the behavior of the hive.	5. Drone bees do not produce pheromones and have no significant influence on the hive's behavior.

3. Give reason:

a. Honey bee is called a social insect.

→ Honey bee is called a social insect because they show highly social organization by dividing the colony into queen, workers, and drones based on their role in society, communicate through the waggle dance, cooperate in building and maintaining the hive, and work together for the survival of the colony.

b. Pasture land is required for bee farming.

→ Pasture land is required for bee farming because pasture land provides a diverse range of plants that bees searches widely for steady supply of nectar and pollen.

c. Drone dies after mating.

→ During mating, the part of the drone that enters the queen ruptures from his abdomen due to the force of the mating. Due to this reason drone bee dies after mating.

d. Bees are multipurpose insects.

→ Honey bees are considered multipurpose insects because they produce valuable products like honey, royal jelly and pollen as well as beeswax, and honey bee venom by selling which farmers can earn lot of money and promote economy of a nation.

4. Answer the following questions:

a. Write the various types of bees found in the hive.

→ Types of bees found in the hive are queen, drone and worker bees.

b. What is the function of the drone bee?

→ The function of drone bee is to mate with queen bee.

c. If the queen bee dies for some reason, who will control the hive?

→ If queen bee dies, the worker bees feed the larva royal jelly only so that new queen is formed. Hence, after death of queen bee, worker bees control the hive.

d. How does the queen bee control other members of the hive?

→ The queen bee controls other members of the hive by releasing chemical scents called pheromones.

e. Write the uses of honey.

→ Uses of honey are as follows:

- Honey is natural sweetener which has many medicinal properties.

- Enzymes contained in honey increases rate of digestion.

- It is used to cure cough and sore throat.

- It is also used in cosmetic products.

f. Describe the structure of the queen bee.

→ Structure of Queen bee:

- A queen bee is the largest bee in the colony.

- It is up to 2 cm in length.

- It has a stinger, functional ovaries and a spermathecal for collecting sperms during mating.

g. Mention the functions of the worker bee.

→ Functions of worker bee are as follows:

- They clean the hive and cling to honey comb to regulate temperature for egg, larva and pupa.

- Royal gland is developed in their head to produce royal jelly which is fed to larva and queen.

- They make honey comb and seal larval cell and honey cell using wax glands.

- They collect nectar, pollen, water etc.

h. Explain how the division of labor occurs in bees.

→ The division of labor in bees according to their types and age can be explained in table as follows: Bee Types Table

S.N.	Type	Age	Function
1	Drone	Throughout the life	Fertilize queen bee and make hive warm.
2	Queen bee	Throughout the life	Lays eggs and regulates the activities of hive by secreting pheromones.
3	Worker	1-3 day	Clean the hive and cling to the honey comb to provide warmth to egg larva and pupa.
		4-6 days	Feed honey bread to larvae.
		7-11 days	Royal gland is developed in their head to produce royal jelly which is fed to larva and queen.
		12-17 days	Four pair of wax glands are developed in their body, used for making honey comb and to seal larval cell and honey cell.
		18-20 days	Sting glands are developed to protect hive.
		After 21 days	Collect nectar, pollen, water, etc.

i. Explain the life cycle of honey bee with a diagram.

→ The life cycle of honey bee begins when the queen bee releases a pheromone that attracts drone bees. During the queen's nuptial flight, she mates with multiple drone bees, collecting sperm to fertilize eggs. A few days later, the queen starts laying eggs.

(i) Egg: The duration of egg for all bees is three days. From fertilized eggs develop queen and worker bees. Drone develops from unfertilized eggs.

(ii) Larva: After 3 days of laying eggs, eggs hatch into larvae. The larva is glutton. The larva may develop into queen bee or worker bee which depends upon the food fed to larva. All larvae feed on royal jelly for 3 days. After 3 days, the larva of future queen is continuously feed on royal jelly whereas the larva of future workers and drones feeds on beebread. It lasts for about 5.5 days for queen, 6 days for worker and 7 days for drones.

(iii) Pupa: The pupa does not feed or move but it’s structural changes continues. Three pairs of legs, wings and mouthpart are developed in this stage. It lasts for 8,12 and 14 days for queen, worker and drone respectively.

(iv) Adult: After many changes, pupa transforms to adult. The mandibles in mouth of newly formed adult bee chew the layer of wax sealed to the brood cell and emerge out. After they emerge, worker start to help others immediately. Generally, it takes 16, 21 and 24 days for queen, worker and drone respectively to reach adulthood from egg.

(Click here to understand life cycle of honey bee in video)

j. What is the process called in which a drone is developed from an unfertilized egg?

→The process in which a drone bee is developed from an unfertilized egg is called parthenogenesis.

k. When a farmer practices bee farming, then income of other farmers in that locality also increases. Justify your reason.

→ When a farmer practices bee farming, the bees goes outside to collect nectar and pollen thus helping in pollination process of plants and giving better yield to farmers. In this way, the income of other farmers in locality also increases.

l. Due to the problem of pasture land in the beekeeping area, beekeepers shifted the bees from there. After that, there was a reduction in the yield of mustard crops of nearby farmers. Based on this, explain the relationship between beekeeping and agricultural production.

→ The relationship between beekeeping and agricultural production can be explained as follows:

- Pollination: Bees play a crucial role in pollinating crops (including mustard) by transferring pollen from one flower to another which helps in the fertilization of plants leading to increased crop yield.

- Impact of Bee absence: When beekeepers moved their hives due to pasture land problems, the absence of bees resulted in reduced pollination due to which farmers experienced a decline in yield.

- Mutual Benefit: While bees rely on crops for nectar and pollen, farmers benefit from the improved yields due to enhanced pollination services provided by the bees.

In conclusion, beekeeping and agricultural production are closely linked as bees plays vital role in crop pollination.

m. Look at the concept map and complete it.

→

Bee Diagram

DRONE BEE

↑

Parthenogenesis

↑

bee

↓

Fertilization

↓

QUEEN

(Fertile)

WORKER

Life Cycle of Honey bee - Class 10 science Guide [New Syllabus]