My version of a queen bee.*
By Katy Budge
I seem to bee in a bee mood, and why not? As I mentioned in my previous post, these busy little creatures are responsible for most of the food we eat.
Beekeeping has also become a bit of a fanciful hobby for some, but apiculture isn’t about just plopping hives in a field. In addition to harvesting whatever honey and beeswax are available, the beekeeper needs to provide adequate water, ensure the bees aren’t succumbing to diseases such as mites, and keep the physical hives themselves maintained.
That involves everything from knowing when to expand the hive itself by adding extra boxes, to fixing damaged boxes and frames, to maintaining whatever is protecting the hives. Often, beekeepers use climb-resistant electric fencing, which can deter all but the most determined varmints.
Among the biggest threats to hives are wild boars and black bears, which will destroy pretty much everything in their quest for honey. It’s a heart-breaking sight for a beekeeper to come across a ravaged cluster of hives, especially if the queen has been killed or swarmed away with her minions.
Ruler of the Roost
The queen bee definitely rules the roost in any hive, and as such is treated appropriately. The female worker bees make sure her every need is met, from food, to water, to temperature control. But hers is not the life of a benevolent gadabout.
Queen bees ascend to their thrones in rather Shakespearean fashion. If a hive senses it needs a new queen, a select group of the worker bees starts pampering a group of potentially regal replacement eggs. The first coddled larvae to fully develop into a queen then kills all of her sisters to assure that there will be just a single sovereign ruler.
With that nasty task out of the way, the queen takes her one and only flight out of the hive, and for only one purpose – mating. That single night on the town allows her to produce eggs over the entirety of her three- to five-year lifespan, sometimes a couple thousand a day. Since she lays all the eggs for the hive, her genes are prevalent throughout.
Because of that, most beekeepers buy queens for their hives, hoping for positive traits. Some even raise their own queens, essentially just mimicking the tasks of what the worker bees would do.
As one local beekeeper (Riley Chestnut of Creston Bee Company) noted, “If you treat them like they’re supposed to be treated, they become what they’re supposed to be.”
Wise words for us all to live by.
* For as important as bees are to our existence, I had little luck finding good artwork to accompany this piece, so … with the help of DrawingSkill.com, I came up with this. None of my illustrator colleagues need to worry! – K. Budge