20 may world bee day Fear of chemicals causing honeycomb collapse phenomenon
May 20th every year United Nations It has been designated as World Bee Day or World Bee Day in honor of Anton Jana. Pioneer in beekeeping techniques who were born today and want to see the importance of bees Over the years The number of bees was greatly reduced. due to the threat from the use of pesticides In addition, when the forest area is reduced It puts bees at risk of extinction.
Bees are social and economic insects that cannot live in isolation for long periods of time. by lack of relationship with bees of other castes within the same society And has a social system for more than 30 million years, each bee hive is like a family.
The bees are generally industrialized. Apis mellifera is a popular beekeeping species, which can be divided into 3 castes according to function as follows:
1. Queen Bee (The Queen)
It is the largest bee. Lifespan is more than 1 year, has short wings only half the body, long slender belly, black body. The belly is brown, the bottom is pointed, the hind legs have no pollen storage. No wax glands Responsible for breeding, laying eggs, and controlling bee populations of other castes with pheromones throughout the hive. In one hive there is only one queen bee, except for some large hive, may be found 2-3. Can mate only once during the hive. life The queen bee has a stinger that can be used to fight other queen bees. The queen bee lives on the hive. not looking for food and was surrounded by worker bees
2. The Drone (The Drone)
It is the largest bee after the queen bee. Fat shorter than the queen bee, life expectancy 4-6 weeks, is a bee without a stinger. It has a short tongue for licking and getting food from the worker bees. The male bee is on the hive. not looking for food Its only function is to mate with the queen bee. The male bee is a bee that grows from unfertilized eggs. After hatching from the pupa for 16 days, they can fertilize.
3. The Worker Bee
a female bee the smallest But the largest number of 5,000-30,000 birds/nest has a life expectancy of 6-8 weeks due to the larval stage. Received a special diet is royal jelly or royal jelly (royal jelly) only 3 days after the older worker bee larvae. will eat only pollen and honey This makes the development process very different from the queen bee. while the queen bee has been fed royal jelly since it is a day old embryo and continues to eat it for the rest of its life. The worker bees have a primary function, such as cleaning the hive. Nurture and feed the bee larvae. Build and repair nests Be a soldier guarding the nest, protecting the enemy, and finding food.
From a survey of many areas around the world found that The bee population is rapidly declining. phenomenon “Honeycomb collapse” (colony collapse disorder) This is a result of the widespread use of chemicals, pesticides and chemical fertilizers in farmland. And what is important is the lost forest area.
As the swarm of bees disappears in the ecosystem, there is no plant pollination medium. Therefore, agricultural products are not produced, including vegetables, fruits, as well as flowers and plants in the forest. Bees can therefore be an indicator of the fertility of the forest.