longevity in bees

[keith pierce]

Several weeks ago just before the summer oilseed rape was coming into flower i moved 8 nukes to it so that they could build up on it.The flower had completly finished and yesterday eve i brought most of them home and placed them in different positions around the apairy. some were back in their origional spots and one stand that two were origionly one was left free.this eve there was about 50 bees clustered on one corner of the stand and that was at the end of very wet day where their was little or no bees flying.
I thought that bees were only suppost to live 2 weeks after they became foragers. I dont have the exact dates that i moved them, but it must be about 3 weeks. Next year i am going to mark bees as they hatch and see just how long they live.

 

[Poly Hive]

Three weeks in the hive and three as foragers. Those are of course average figures so you will get some that go a month or poss five weeks depending on the demands made on them.

So what you have noticed is not unusual.

PH

 

[richardbees]

"Next year i am going to mark bees as they hatch and see just how long they live."

ho ho ho...

then again, I see you are in Ireland so can get help from pixies!

 

[keith pierce]

"Next year i am going to mark bees as they hatch and see just how long they live."

ho ho ho...

then again, I see you are in Ireland so can get help from pixies!

I dont see would be that lasy and ask the pixies as they have enought work to be doing.
All you would have to do is mark with your queen marking pen about 50 young fluffy grey bees and when you dont see them in the hive anymore they you will have you results

 

[Flatters]

Keith it is an interesting statement to say you are going to mark them but is this a viable suggestion? There are many factors that could affect your experiment, for example what if you went through two weeks of bad weather and most of the bees stay at home. Or you could get a few weeks of excellent weather. Or it could be very windy and lost don't make it home or are taken by foragers, or drift to another hive. Or perhaps the forage is very close and so they don't get as worn out as ones that have to travel to forage.

I think also how you are going to mark them all is a further point that is beyond me. I think you probably have some time on your hands?

 

[huntsman666]

Three weeks as field bees is the accepted average but this can extend to six weeks, even more depending on circumstances. The more work they have to do, the shorter they live.