How do winter bees live longer?

[Blue Spinnaker]

As the title says really, I know that they do, but how? Are they different physiologically or do they adapt somehow? What's the story behind this?

 

[Dishmop]

Because their metabolic rates slows down. Basically they dont do anything in temperatures below about 6-7 degrees. They dont even eat a great deal.
They're semi comatose, but in far better condition than the Norwegian Blue Parrot.

 

[Bosleeu]

Have a look at : http://westmtnapiary.com/winter_cluster.html it's quite interesting. Apart from the physiological differences they also do less, especially no foraging, as suggested above.

Does not mean it's all true though, but it makes sense to me.

 

[Goran]

"Chubby" winter bees - different diet..

 

[drstitson]

no expensive child rearing.
think of the life expectancy of your average mum of many.

 

[kazmcc]

no expensive child rearing.
think of the life expectancy of your average mum of many.

Doesn't bode well for me then!

 

[Blue Spinnaker]

Me neither!

 

[Ben90]

Lack of brood smell/pheromone means the developmental processes where the bees would develop the physiology to be nurses doesn't develop. The bees produce and store a protein called Vitellogenin, which is the main protein constituent in royal jelly, fed to the larvae, queen, and in small amounts to the foragers, which can no longer produce their own. Vitellogenin has a big role in honeybee physiology from boosting their immune system, to tissue repair, and as such, the bees which don't develop glands to perpetually deplete their vitellogenin as nurses are able to live a lot longer. While a worker is able to revert from being a forager to being a nurse, the process of becoming a nurse at the start of the bee's life is irreversible. As soon as the bees smell the scent of brood in the late winter, they become nurses and foragers.

The scientific name for long-lived winter bees is "diutinus" bees.

http://jeb.biologists.org/content/212/23/i.2.full Here's an example of a paper that's discussed the process.

It's not true that diutinus bees are semi-comatose or have a slower metabolism per se, they just don't metabolise vitellogenin in the same way a nurse would.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Me neither!

Doesn't bode well for me then!

No nooooooo Children keep you young

 

[REDWOOD]

Air miles

 

[kazmcc]

No nooooooo Children keep you young

LOL do queens go grey?

 

[farbee]

Lower metabolic rate therefore less oxygen consumption and so less oxygen free radical production which are damaging to biomolecules so leads to quicker death.

 

[farbee]

No nooooooo Children keep you young

Nay. Other peoples children keep you young.
You can't give your own back at the end of the day.

 

[drstitson]

"LOL do queens go grey?"

NO.

they are effectively playing a male type role - dumping her seed for others to care for whilst being fed and watered by the willing recipients of the workload.


kaz - i can't recall you appearing in the daily mail, looking haggard and old beyond your years, surrounded by a flock of "little angels" whilst being vilified for your profligacy and cheek for demanding a bigger TV and a florida holiday off the state.

 

[Nige.Coll]

there are endless studies on the lifespan and lifecycle of bees.
try typing it into google.
It gets very scientific very quickly though.

 

[kazmcc]

"LOL do queens go grey?"

NO.

they are effectively playing a male type role - dumping her seed for others to care for whilst being fed and watered by the willing recipients of the workload.


kaz - i can't recall you appearing in the daily mail, looking haggard and old beyond your years, surrounded by a flock of "little angels" whilst being vilified for your profligacy and cheek for demanding a bigger TV and a florida holiday off the state.

You must not have bought it that day