Worker bee facts for kids
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A worker bee is a female bee that helps the queen bee and does most of the work in a bee hive. These busy bees are found in all social bee species. However, when people talk about worker bees, they usually mean honey bees, especially the European honey bee (Apis mellifera). Worker bees are super important! They help pollinate about 80% of the world's crops. This means they help grow many of the fruits and vegetables we eat.
Worker bees are the most common type of bee in a hive. They are smaller than male bees (drones) and the queen. Their bodies are specially made for collecting nectar and pollen. As they get older, worker bees take on different jobs around the hive in a specific order.
They collect pollen in special "baskets" on their back legs. They bring this pollen back to the hive to feed the baby bees, called brood. When they visit flowers, some pollen sticks to their bodies. This pollen can then rub off on other flowers, helping them make seeds and fruits. Worker bees also suck up nectar with their straw-like tongues. They mix it with special liquids in their stomachs and carry it back to the hive. There, it's stored in wax cells and turned into delicious honey.
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The Amazing Life Cycle of a Worker Bee
Worker bees play a big role in keeping the hive at the right temperature. They need to keep the area where baby bees are growing between 34 and 36 degrees Celsius (93-97 degrees Fahrenheit). If it gets too hot, workers bring water or thin nectar and spread it around. Then, they fan their wings to cool the hive down, just like a natural air conditioner! If it gets too cold, they can warm up their muscles and press against the cells to share their body heat. In winter, worker bees huddle together in a big "winter cluster" to stay warm and protect the queen and brood.
The life of a worker bee changes with the seasons. In summer, they are very busy and usually live only about two to six weeks. In winter, when they stay mostly inside the hive, they can live up to 20 weeks. This is because summer bees face more dangers when they leave the hive to find food.
Every honey bee starts as a tiny egg laid by the queen. Worker eggs are laid in smaller cells than drone eggs. After three days, the egg hatches into a small worm-like larva. Nurse bees feed this larva "royal jelly" for three days. After that, they eat pollen and honey for about two more days. Then, other worker bees seal the cell with wax. Inside, the larva spins a cocoon and becomes a pupa. Over about 10 days, the pupa grows into an adult bee, developing eyes, wings, and legs. After a total of about 21 days, the new adult bee chews its way out of the cell and immediately starts its jobs in the hive!
Different Jobs for Worker Bees
As a worker bee grows, she takes on many different jobs inside and outside the hive. The exact time she spends on each job can change based on what the hive needs. But generally, they follow a pattern:
Cleaning Crew (Days 1-2)
When a worker bee first emerges, her main job is to clean the cells where new bees will be laid. The queen bee inspects these cells, and if they are not perfectly clean, the cleaning bee has to do it again!
Nurse Bees (Days 3-12)
Young worker bees become "nurse bees." They feed the baby worker larvae a special food called "worker jelly." They also feed the queen larva and male bees (drones) a rich food called royal jelly. Drones usually get worker jelly for a few days before switching to honey.
Queen's Attendants (Days 7-11)
Some workers become "queen attendants." They feed and groom the queen. When they touch the queen, they pick up a special scent called queen mandibular pheromone (QMP). They then spread this scent throughout the hive. This tells all the other bees that their queen is healthy and present.
Wax Builders (Days 13-18)
Worker bees in this stage produce wax from special glands on their bodies. They use this wax to build new honeycomb cells and repair old ones. These cells are used to store nectar, pollen, and to raise new baby bees.
Guard Bees (Days 18-21)
Once their stingers are fully developed, some worker bees become "guard bees." They stand at the entrance of the hive, protecting it from any unwanted visitors or threats.
Foraging Bees (Days 21-42)
These are the bees you often see flying outside! Foraging bees travel up to 3 kilometers (about 2 miles) from the hive to find nectar, pollen, water, or propolis. They might make about 10 trips a day, each lasting about an hour.
Important Activities Inside the Hive
Making Honey
Worker bees collect nectar from flowers and store it in a special "honey stomach." Inside, enzymes start to break down the nectar into simpler sugars. Back at the hive, they pass the nectar to other workers. These workers either feed it to young bees or store it in honeycomb cells. To make honey, they fan the nectar with their wings to remove water. Once it's thick enough, they seal the cell with a wax cap to keep it fresh.
Feeding Drones
Young male bees (drones) don't feed themselves. Worker bees feed them until they are old enough to eat honey from the hive's stores.
Building Honeycomb
Worker bees have eight tiny wax glands on their bellies. They chew the wax and mix it with their saliva to make it soft. Then, they carefully shape it into the perfect hexagonal cells of the honeycomb. This amazing process is repeated thousands of times to build the entire comb!
Storing Pollen
Pollen brought into the hive is not just for immediate feeding. It's also stored for later. Workers pack the pollen tightly into comb cells and mix it with a little honey. This helps prevent it from spoiling, as stored pollen can go bad if not cared for properly.
Using Propolis
Worker bees collect a sticky, plant-based substance called propolis. They mix it with their own enzymes. This special mixture has properties that help fight bacteria and fungi. They use propolis to seal cracks in the hive and even place it at the entrance to help with air flow. Some bees even mix mud with propolis, creating "geopropolis," which has even more amazing protective qualities!
Mortuary Bees
Just like a clean-up crew, "mortuary bees" remove dead bees and any larvae that didn't survive. They carry them far away from the hive to keep the home clean and prevent diseases.
Fanning the Hive
Worker bees constantly fan their wings to control the airflow inside the hive. This helps cool the hive when it's hot, especially by evaporating water. They can direct air in or out as needed.
Water Delivery
When the hive is getting too hot, special "water carrier" bees collect water, usually from nearby sources. They bring it back and spread it on the backs of the fanning bees to help with cooling.
Guarding the Entrance
Guard bees stand at the hive entrance, ready to defend against any intruders, like wasps. The number of guards can change depending on the season, the type of bee, and how busy the entrance is. Some guard bees even hover in the air to provide extra protection!
Worker Bee Genetics
Worker bees are female, but they usually cannot reproduce like the queen. This is because of how the colony works together. Genetically, a worker bee is very similar to a queen bee. Whether a baby bee becomes a worker or a queen depends on the special food it receives during its first few days as a larva.
The Worker Bee's Stinger
A worker bee's stinger is a powerful tool for defending itself and the hive. When a worker bee stings a mammal or a bird, its barbed stinger usually gets stuck in the skin. The venom sac stays attached to the stinger and continues to pump venom. Sadly, the bee will die after losing its stinger because this action also damages or removes some of its internal organs.
However, the barbs on the stinger usually don't get stuck in insects or other animals that are not mammals or birds. This means a bee can sting those types of animals multiple times without losing its stinger.
Other Social Bees with Workers
Worker bees are not just found in honey bee hives! Many other types of social bees also have workers. These include bumble bees, stingless bees, some orchid bees, and many species of sweat bees. These bees live on every continent except Antarctica. In these other bee species, the worker bees might not look very different from their queens, except for their size or color. But they still have different behaviors and jobs compared to their queens.
