How much gathered honey?

[simoncav]

I read in various places that a single worker collects less than a teaspoon in her lifetime. So I'm sitting here revising for Modules 2 and 5 thinking about this when I read that a bees honey crop can hold about 0.4g of honey.

If a worker forages say every day of her three weeks on the wing thats a total 21 days. If she does approx 10 trips a day, thats 10x21 = 210 trips at 0.04g per trip = 8.4g.

Now, a teaspoon is approx 5 grams, so thats getting on for two teaspoon fulls!

Even if she's bringing in exclusively low grade watery nectar at say 25% sugar and 75% water that requires 60% of the original volume of water to be removed 8.4 - 60% = 3.36g or 2/3rd of a teaspoon.

So, can someone with a bigger brain or better maths explain to me nicely how the various books etc claim a worker only brings in 2 drops or 1/12 teaspoon of honey in her lifespan?

 

[Finman]

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IT is nectar, what a bee brings to home. Its water content is something.

Bee can take a load, but if it forages at the distance of 2 kilometres, most of load is consumed as fuel.

First bees feed the larvae, and they eate themselves. What they store is differet thing. Most of stores will be eaten during bad days. At the end if summer you see what they got.


I do not mind to calculate those spoons what are written. Those spoonfulls have nothing to do with reality.
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[Webby]

I thought they only foraged for the last two weeks of their lifespan?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

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Those spoonfulls have nothing to do with reality.
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What does?

 

[Finman]

What does?

Your eternal barking
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[ladaok]

Your eternal barking
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hahahaha, NO ! ... only when he can see the full moon

 

[Finman]

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In Wales a hive brings 7 kg honey yield in a year and in Australia 300 kg.

How do you count those spoons?

About life span of worker. The are many kind of numbers about that in Internet 1-6 weeks. You can pick what you want.


In my country bee colony colapses very quickly in August when flowers are finish and bees have nothing to forage. They flye far away and do not get fuel to return home. 6 box hive colapses in two weeks to one box hive.
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In what circumtancies the measuring has done, impossible to know.

 

[Finman]

If a worker forages say every day of her three weeks on the wing thats a total 21 days. If she does approx 10 trips a day, thats 10x21 = 210 trips at 0.04g per trip = 8.4g.

?

If a hive has 30 000 foragers, the yield is 8 g x 30 000 bees = 240 kg

If the load has 30% sugar, the final sugar weight is 80 kg. But drying up nectar, moving, storing, ventilation and capping takes a lot energy. What is final result? Impossible to know.

When a hive moves 1:2 syrup from a feeder to combs and caps it, 24% out of sugar have used as processing energy.


I would say like Beatles: Let it be

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[Erichalfbee]

Who sets the modules?
I don't really pay much attention to exams having sat enough to last a lifetime to gain my professional qualifications and to maintain them.
Is it the BBKA?
Then give the answer they require....or maybe write what you have posted?
Maybe the thinking behind might get you extra marks?
I always tell my customers 12 bees per spoonful...it impresses them