CBSE Class 9 Biology Improvement in Food Resources Notes Set 05

Honeybees

Honeybees belong to the genus Apis. Indian species are Apis dorsata (rock bee), Apis cerana indica (Indian bee) and Apis florea (little bee). Apis mellifera is an introduced species. Bees are social insects and live in a colony called a hive, with division of labour among three castes.

Castes of the Honeybee

1. Queen: the only fully developed female of the hive. She lays eggs, sometimes as many as a million in her lifetime, and secretes a chemical that holds the colony together.
2. Workers: sterile females, the most numerous. They have wax glands, a sting, pollen baskets and strong mouth parts, and do all the work of the hive. Foragers collect nectar and pollen, nurse bees look after the queen and larvae, guards protect the entrance, and scouts find food and tell others by a dance.
3. Drones: male bees that do not work or sting. Their only function is to mate with the queen.

Swarming

When the colony becomes overcrowded and the queen lays fewer eggs, workers build new queen cells. Before the new queens emerge, the old queen and many workers leave as a swarm and form a new colony at another place.

Bee Keeping

Keeping bees for honey and wax is called apiculture, and the person who keeps them is an apiarist. Apis cerana indica is the species kept in artificial hives. An artificial hive is a wooden box open at the top and bottom, with movable frames on which the bees build combs and an entrance hole. Modern bee keeping began after the artificial hive was invented in 1789.
Good management includes the following.
1. Placing the hive on stands whose legs stand in water containers to keep ants away.
2. Providing clean water.
3. Checking the frames regularly, using smoke to calm the bees.
4. Feeding sugar syrup when flowers are scarce.
5. Protecting the hive from parasites and enemies such as the wax moth, lizards, spiders, ants and monkeys.
Honey is taken from the combs in a honey extractor, which spins the combs and removes honey by centrifugal force; the empty combs are put back in the hive.

Uses

Honey gives quick energy because it is rich in fructose (levulose) and glucose and is used as food and in medicines. Beeswax is used in making polish, lipsticks, creams and shaving soaps. Bees also pollinate crops and increase yields.