Bees

Bee Habitat

The most ideal habitat for a honeybee is one that is close to a rich source of nectar. Honey bees develop pollen from the nectar of flowers and search for areas close in these building blocks when establishing nests. The habitat varies in size of actual hive and colony, depending on bee species. The important thing regarding the honey bee is that it looks for a home that has flowers with wide tunnels leading to the nectar. When it’s time for hibernation, bees look for loose soil that is rich in vegetation, as this makes for easy hibernation grounds.

Bee Life Cycle

Honey bee larvae hatch from eggs in three to four days. They are then fed by worker bees and develop through several stages in the cells. Cells are capped by worker bees when the larva pupates. Queens and drones are larger than workers, so require larger cells to develop.

A colony may typically consist of tens of thousands of individuals.  Queens emerge from their cells in 15–16 days, workers in 21 days, and drones in 24 days. The average lifespan of a queen is three to four years; drones usually die upon mating or are expelled from the hive before the winter, and workers may live for a few weeks in the summer and several months in areas with an extended winter.

Bee Prevention

Bees can enter any structure or object that contains a hole that is a quarter of an inch or larger. A common bee-prevention technique is to seal all potential bee entries with durable materials, like metal screen and caulk. Reducing outdoor clutter can also prevent bees from nesting in your yard. Unused appliances or lawn equipment found in yards can attract honey bees since they provide sufficient shelter for a hive to thrive.