Question

Explain the division of labour in honey bee culture and its importance.

Accepted Answer

The division of labour in honeybees is a complicated system and that is why it is important to understand the different jobs that exist in colonies.

At a young age, honey bees start off as nest workers and do not travel outside the nest at all. Most honeybees also start off as nurses and attend to the brood, or offspring, of the colony.

At later stages in their life, honeybees become foragers and are responsible for food gathering. They may also continue on to become defenders of the colonies as well.

There are three types of bees present in the hive of honeybees, and they are:

Worker bees: They collect nectar from flowers and store it in hives, where it changes into honey.

Queen bee: It lays eggs and does not contribute to nectar collection.

Drone or male bees: They fertilise the queen bee.

Apiculture is the rearing and breeding of honey bees on a large scale. Honeybees are kept in apiaries for rearing. Honey bees are the most important insects for pollination in plants and for obtaining honey.

Honey is a high energy food material therefore, it has also been used as medicine. Pure honey does not destroy for a long time, therefore, it is used as a preservative. Therefore, the two main products of Apiculture are honey and flower pollen. Other products include beeswax, propolis, bee pollen and royal jelly.

Column I	Column II
(a) Catla	(i) Bottom feeders
(b) Rohu	(ii) Surface feeders
(c) Mrigal	(iii) Middle-zone feeder
(d) Fish farming	(iv) Culture fishery

Explain the division of labour in honey bee culture and its importance.

Important Questions on Food Production and Management

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