Communication Inside the Colony

1 . What are pheromones?

External hormones created from glands that regulate the behavior of other bees

2 . Who in the colony decides the types of resources needed, including protein (pollen), carbohydrates (nectar), propolis and water?

Worker bees, not the queen as previously thought

3 . Which type of bees decides when it is time to swarm, worker, queen or drone?

Worker

4 . Which bees have the greatest cognitive powers in the colony? Queen, Drones or worker bees?

Worker bees.

• They can exchange information with one another

• They have the ability to learn new things

• They make decisions

• They can navigate

5 . What is the average time it takes a colony to realize that the queen is no longer present in the colony?

30 minutes

6 . How do honey bees communicate the richness of a new resource to their nest mates?

When a forager returns to the hive, they recruit other nestmates by means of a dance language. This will communicate not only the distance and direction to the resource but also the richness. The faster the dance, the richer the resource.