The World of Honey Bees Trivia Quiz

Answer: Apis

The genus Apis comprises seven species of honey bees which are further subdivided into forty four subspecies. These bees have the ability to produce and store honey, and to build perennial hexagonal colonial nests from wax which comes from special abdominal glands. The word, 'Apis' comes from the Latin word for 'bee'.

Answer: False

No, only the females can actually sting. The stinger is a modified ovipositor, an organ used for laying eggs. These stinging females are sterile. A typical hive of honey bees has between 20,000 - 80,000 bees. The population is comprised of just one queen, hundreds of males, and thousands of female worker bees. For every one male, there are approximately 100 female workers.

Answer: a barb on the stinger which stays in the victim's skin

The stinger has a barb on the end preventing the stinger from being pulled out. When the bee tries to fly away, the stinger remains in the skin and tears away from the bee's body. This leaves the digestive system, muscles, nerves, parts of the abdomen and the venom sac behind, and the bee dies.

Its body releases alarm pheromones which alert the worker bees and encourages them to attack the invader.

Answer: they pollinate plants

Bees are primary pollinators. They transfer pollen from plant to plant, helping them reproduce, produce seeds, and bear fruit. Bees actually help with the health of forests, contribute to climate stability, and improve it by providing aeration and preventing erosion.

Answer: by feeding a female larva royal jelly

When a new queen is necessary, the colony exclusively feeds a female larva a compound called 'royal jelly'. This food is reserved solely for the developing queen, and it activates the genes which creates a larger, fertile queen. The workers also construct a large, peanut shaped cell which hangs vertically rather than horizontally to accommodate the growing queen.

It takes about 16 days for the queen to fully develop, and she continues to feed on the royal jelly for life.

Answer: 1500-2000

The queen can lay up to 2000 eggs a day, but the actual number relies on several factors. She will lay the most eggs in the spring and early summer to supplement the hive's population. She is capable of adjusting her egg laying to accommodate the needs of the hive. To maintain her production of eggs, having adequate food, empty cells for depositing eggs, and a good supply of worker bees are all essential.

Answer: to mate with a virgin queen

Male bees, also known as drones, have one purpose in life, and that is to mate. The queen will emerge from her queen cell and fly to what is known as a drone congregation area (DCA) to mate with 10 - 20 drones during flight. The male mates 7-10 times during this time and as he flies away, his endophallus is ripped from his body, causing death. If he does survive, he is expelled from the nest as he has served his purpose in life.

The queen stores all of the sperm in her spermatheca (sperm receptacle) and uses it to fertilize eggs for her entire life.

Answer: chickens which destroy their nests

Chickens are not considered to be much of a threat to honey bees, in fact they can form a symbiotic relationship. The chickens eat the hive pests like ants, beetles, and wax moth larvae. In addition, they can clean up hive debris, such as dead bees. It is important, however to give the bees a separate clean source of water and to place the hives sufficiently high to keep the chickens safe from stings.

Answer: True

Yes, they are known to be highly intelligent considering the size of their brains. Research shows that bees can count, solve problems, and communicate information through dances. They can also recognize human faces, understand concepts like 'same' and 'different', demonstrate tool use, learn by observation, and show emotion-like states. They are truly amazing animals.

Answer: Yes, and it is very strict

Bees are eusocial insects, meaning they show an advanced level of social organization. They have a strict caste system with each individual playing a role in the survival of the colony through division of labour and specialized, age-related roles. The younger females work in the hive, tending to the queen, cleaning the hive and other bees, and removing dead comrades.

The worker bees are older females, who collect water, pollen and nectar, and guard the hive.