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Almost every person who is interested in beekeeping asks how many bees are in one hive. Of course, counting insects one at a time is not an option. Firstly, it will take more than one day, since there can be tens of thousands of bees, and secondly, it is, in principle, impossible, since insects are small in size and are in constant motion. To perform a count, you first need to study the information on the hierarchy of the insect data, and then apply one of the calculation methods.
What factors affect the number of bees in the hive
The number of all organisms is influenced by various factors and reasons. The following circumstances affect the population in the hive:
- The presence of weak queens. Such individuals make weak offspring, which subsequently affects the performance of the entire family. In turn, this will cause a lag in the development of the hive;
- Problems keeping strong families on the same level. With a constant change in their number, insects lose the ability to independently produce strong offspring;
- A small amount of nectar, water and bee bread. Lack of bribe negatively affects the uterus. Its brood turns out to be weak, as a result of which the total population of the hive decreases;
- Air temperature during the brood period. For good offspring, warm weather is necessary: only in this case is it possible for a good influx of queens, as well as workers, to appear;
- The broods should be open to allow the worker bees to feed the queens well. All this contributes to the emergence of strong individuals in the family;
- Large number of queens. The strength of the brood depends on the quality of the queens obtained.
How many bees are in one family
The family of bees can be considered a kind of state, since they have a certain hierarchy, at the head of which is the queen. The main task of queens is to produce offspring.
Drones make up a small part of the bee colony. They come from eggs that have not been fertilized. Their main task is considered to be mating with the queen of the family.
According to observations, one bee colony can contain about 100 males. All others become exiles. Some part will die, some will mate with the uterus of another family. At the end of their mission, the drones die.
The main part of the insects that inhabit the hive consists of workers who perform different functions. Responsibilities depend on age:
- The cocoon stage lasts about 3 weeks. When small bees appear on the account, from the first day they learn from older individuals;
- The first 2 weeks, the bees not only eat, but also begin to clean up in a personal cell;
- At the 18th day of life, bees begin to produce wax, which they need to build honeycombs;
- Then young individuals move to the taphole, where they continue to observe the life of their family;
- A month after birth, workers begin to collect nectar. From that moment on, they can be considered adults.
In the midst of collecting honey in one bee colony there can be about 80 thousand bees.
How many bee families are in one hive
Only one colony of bees can live in 1 hive.The only exception is the breeding period, since a new uterus appears at this time. The process of formation of a new swarm begins, at the end of which it leaves the hive.
How many bees are in the hive
To see the whole family, it is necessary to wait for the evening, since it is during this period of the day that the entire colony returns to the hive. But even so it is difficult to say exactly how many bees are in one hive. The number of these insects also strongly depends on the season.
How the number of bees in the hive changes depending on the season
The largest population growth occurs precisely in the spring. The reason for this is the appearance of flowering on plants, which are subsequently pollinated by bees. In mid-spring, the population in the hive can reach 80 thousand individuals.
The renewal of the insect family takes place in May. At this time, the old generation of individuals that survived the winter leaves the colony. Even before the beginning of the summer period, the number of young bees in the colony will reach 95 percent. If we translate these data into a numerical form, then this will amount to about 85 thousand insects.
It is during this period that it is necessary to separate families, because if this is not done, you can lose 50 percent of the population of the colony. Immediately after the division, the bee colony begins to prepare supplies for the winter.
As the autumn period approaches, the queen bee slows down the rate of laying eggs, and eventually stops altogether. The total number of insects is also decreasing due to the fact that workers expel males from the colony.
In winter, the colony is not involved in anything. During the cold season, many bees living in the hive die. With the onset of spring, the uterus begins to lay eggs again, which is why the bee family is replenished. This cycle of insect life repeats from year to year.
Several ways to count the number of bees in a hive
All beekeepers approach their work very responsibly. Many of them even keep a special diary, in which they indicate the approximate population of each colony.
Of course, it is impossible to determine the exact number of individuals of the insect family. Despite this, it is still possible to calculate the approximate number of inhabitants of the hive.
In a bee family, each individual has its own direct responsibilities and must fulfill them, therefore all bees are in their place, namely:
- Nursing bees: are engaged in the saturation of the brood;
- Builders; carry out the construction of new honeycombs;
- Queen: together with her entourage is on the sowing combs.
Method 1
A standard frame can hold about 3.3 thousand cells. The worker bee reaches a size of 1.5 centimeters. One side of the honeycomb frame can accommodate about 1.1 - 1.15 thousand bees. If you count the number of insects on both sides, you get about 2.2 - 2.3 thousand individuals. The resulting number must be multiplied by the number of frames in the hive. Thus, the number of the entire family of bees can be calculated.
Method 2
The second option for determining the number of hive population is to calculate the weight of the insect. This calculation must take into account the type of bees being bred, as the weight of different species can vary greatly.
First of all, you need to find out the mass of the hive and frames without bees. Then, having covered the entrance, it is necessary to determine how much the hive weighs together with the bees. The first is subtracted from the second number, and the result is divided by the weight of the bee. The resulting number will be the approximate number of individuals in this family.
Conclusion
One bee hive can contain several tens of thousands of insects. Each individual is assigned a duty, which she diligently performs: the queen is responsible for the appearance of new offspring, the drone is engaged in fertilizing the queen, and the worker bees collect nectar and build new combs. The size of one family varies from time to year.
