Bees through winter

[Hughesie]

What is the trigger that determines that a bee will live through the winter.

 

[Vergilius]

They are the bees from the last brood cycle of the summer/autumn. A few die from the cold but a lot make it all the way through.


Ben P

 

[BKF Admin]

What is the trigger that determines that a bee will live through the winter.

The foraging bees go back to being house bees that feed the brood in the spring.

A bee will normaly die because its wings are worn out from foraging but because they stop flying they live through the winter.

I expect there is a posh name for foragers going back to housebee's but I dont know what its called.

Diet may also play a part as they go back to a diet that contains pollen that they use to feed the brood in spring.

 

[victor meldrew]

The foraging bees go back to being house bees that feed the brood in the spring.

A bee will normaly die because its wings are worn out from foraging but because they stop flying they live through the winter.

I expect there is a posh name for foragers going back to housebee's but I dont know what its called.

Diet may also play a part as they go back to a diet that contains pollen that they use to feed the brood in spring.

REGRESSION ?

JW

 

[Storm™]

The foraging bees go back to being house bees that feed the brood in the spring.

A bee will normaly die because its wings are worn out from foraging but because they stop flying they live through the winter.

I expect there is a posh name for foragers going back to housebee's but I dont know what its called.

Diet may also play a part as they go back to a diet that contains pollen that they use to feed the brood in spring.

"The winter bee is a rather different animal from summer worker, the difference being brought about by feeding and by lack of work. In late August in early September the worker is fed very heavily upon pollen, and this brings their hypopharyngeal glands * glands back into the plump form of the youngest nursing bee."*

Goes on to explain how using this method they extend thier lives through winter and details thier fatty nutrition.

Source page 61 Hoopers - guide to bees and honey 5th edition - updated. Bought a few weeks ago on Am **** very cheaply for less than a tenna brand new. Beautiful read.

 

[aseeryl]

Remember words from B. Dylan's song :-

"I was so much older then I'm younger than that now"

I think it should be reversion rather than regression. But maybe splitting hairs.

 

[Hombre]

Regression and reversion are essentially the same, but I feel that regression seems to convey a change to an earlier stage of development rather than reverting to an earlier state which sounds slightly more binary.

Not a lot in it, though as I feel that both words convey the sentiment.

Witness: regressive behaviour = good (maybe not desireable ) v his behaviour reverted to that which was experienced earlier.

So regression appears to convey not only direction but to a degree indicates a change in magnitude also.

But this is probably a load of b*llocks. Don't you just love words; even if you don't always understand the exact meaning, they often convey a distinct feeling of suitability for purpose.

 

[RoofTops]

Put simply it is not raising brood which allows the last generation of workers of the year to live through the winter. Bees which nurse brood have much shorter lives.

 

[thedeaddiplomat]

Bees which nurse brood have much shorter lives.

Is there a lesson here for humans, too?

 

[Teemore]

I expect there is a posh name for foragers going back to housebee's but I dont know what its called.

.

Temporal Polyethism!