Honey Bee Development#
1 . What is complete metamorphosis?
Individual passes through four distinct developmental stages
2 . What are the 4 developmental stages of the honey bee?
Egg
Larva
Pupa
Adult
3 . What is the size and shape of a honey bee egg?
Sausage or rice shaped measuring 1/16th inch
4 . How long does it take for an egg to hatch into a larva?
3 days. This is true for worker, queen and drone larva.
5 . What is the posture of the larva in the feeding phase?
C- shaped or horseshoe shaped
6 . At which stage do the bees cap the cell?
When the larva enters the intermediate stage, pre-pupa, and start to become the pupa
7 . What are the number of days it takes for a worker from egg to adult?
21 days (egg to adult)
8 . What are the number of days it takes for a drone from egg to adult?
24 days
9 . What are the number of days it takes for a queen from egg to adult?
16 days
10 . What is meant by brood?
Bee brood or brood refers to the eggs, larvae and pupae
11 . What do larvae eat? How?
Nurse bees feed the developing brood. Worker and drone larvae eat royal jelly for the first three days only, then are fed a mixture of nectar, honey and pollen, called bee bread. Queens are fed royal jelly exclusively during development.
12 . What changes if any do the bees make to the items they forage?
They add enzymes to the nectar and mix pollen with honey to create bee bread for the larvae.