Bees appeared as a result of natural and artificial selection, which people began during the development of beekeeping and beekeeping. Because of their honey, these insects are the most useful on the farm. Ancient people specially bred bees, and honey was used not only for food, but also as medicine. Bees live in different parts of the planet and are distinguished by their external characteristics, stability, productivity and other qualities.
Description and features
The bee belongs to the superfamily of stinging flying insects Apoidea. It is closest to wasps and ants. There are approximately 21,000 species and 520 genera of bees worldwide.
Bee close up
Insects feed on pollen and nectar. At the same time, pollen serves as a source of useful substances for them (in particular protein), and nectar serves as energy. Some species have the highest social organization.
Bees can have different appearances depending on the specific species. But on average they are about 3 centimeters in size and striped in color, alternating yellow-orange and black. The body is completely covered with hairs, which serve as protection and function as organs of touch.
A distinctive feature of the bee is the presence of a proboscis for sucking nectar and sensing taste. And the antennae are responsible for the sense of smell, recognizing heat/cold/humidity. Some parts of the body and legs act as hearing organs.
Breed of Karnika bees and their characteristics
The description of carnika bees primarily concerns subspecies or strains. There are four of them: carnika, Italian, Caucasian and dark forest.
Regardless of the strain, all insects of this species are characterized by high productivity and low feed consumption, therefore they tolerate winter well even in lean years.
The insects are gray, with small patches of yellow, the body is short and covered with numerous villi, which makes the insects look shaggy.
Characteristics of carnival bees include the following indicators (Figure 5):
- High productivity allows you to get honey even from a weak harvest;
- The peaceful nature allows the beekeeper to work with insects even without protective clothing;
- Economical consumption of feed increases survival in winter, and the family will collect honey even in the absence of a queen.
Figure 5. Features of karnik bees
Among the disadvantages are the late appearance of brood, especially in warm and long autumn conditions, as well as low productivity during the second bribe. This feature is due to the fact that bees spend almost all their energy on the first bribe.
Structure, what a bee looks like
External structure of a bee
A bee belongs to the category of arthropods. Her body consists of three main parts:
- heads;
- chest part;
- abdomen
Another distinctive feature of insects is the exoskeleton, which is presented in the form of a protective hard shell. Muscles and internal organs are attached to it.
The bee's head is protected by a layer of chitin. In addition to antennae, she has an upper lip and mouthparts with well-developed muscles. This allows insects to carry small objects and bite through any natural materials.
The thoracic part consists of several sections.
Here are the muscles with which the bee controls its wings. She also has three pairs of legs. The hind legs are most covered with hairs that carry pollen. Insects use their front legs for personal hygiene. Interesting fact : bees can reach speeds of up to 60 km/h, while making approximately 400 wing beats per second.
If an insect flies not “light”, but with some kind of cargo, then its maximum speed is up to 20 km/h. The heaviest weight tolerated is up to 75 mg. Almost all internal organs are concentrated in the abdomen. It consists of several segments that are connected by an elastic film. On the abdomen there are special glands (4 pairs) that secrete wax.
The most important organ of a bee is the sting. She uses it for defense, but if lost, the insect's lifespan is reduced to a couple of hours. The fact is that the sting is very sharp and has serrations, unlike the wasp. Having attacked the enemy, the bee tries to pull him out and thereby damages its organs.
Bee sting
Caucasian breed
The Caucasian breed includes many subspecies, which, although they have some differences, still have some common features (Figure 9).
Note: The diversity of subspecies is explained by the fact that they formed in different climatic conditions. For example, valley Caucasian ones can collect honey even in extreme heat, while high mountain ones can collect honey when the temperature drops to +6 degrees.
A distinctive feature of the breed is its high flight duration. Bees leave the hive early in the morning and return late in the evening, which allows them to collect a fairly large amount of honey. In addition, the nectar collection period lasts from early spring to late autumn, which allows us to consider the breed one of the most productive.
Figure 9. External features of Caucasian bees
Also, Caucasian bees easily adapt to different weather conditions and produce a lot of propolis, which is used to insulate nests for the winter. Despite these features, insects do not tolerate wintering well, so the main task of the beekeeper is to properly prepare the hives and provide the insects with sufficient food. In addition, they often get sick and are very sensitive to dampness.
Lifestyle and habitat
The favorite habitats of wild bees are mountain crevices, earthen holes, and hollows of old trees. Bees choose areas that are located near water bodies and are also reliably protected from difficult weather conditions and wind.
Bee's nest
In mild climates, nests are built high in trees. Having chosen a suitable place to live, they begin to build honeycombs from hexagonal-shaped cells. Each cell has thin walls. The honeycombs are mounted vertically and have an elongated shape. Special frames are adapted for domestic bees, and wild insects build honeycombs on their own.
Before the onset of cold weather, the main task of bees is to stock up on provisions and insulate their homes. They do this with the help of propolis, which covers all the cracks. Then the insects move to the lower part of the nest, where they stay together, periodically changing places.
Honeycomb
Interesting fact : comfortable temperature for bees is 25-36℃. In winter, inside the nest they maintain a temperature of about 13℃.
In general, wild bees differ from domestic ones only in certain behavioral and character traits. For example, they are more aggressive because they have more natural enemies and are forced to protect their reserves. They are also hardier, more resistant to cold and disease.
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