Bee Biology

Everything You Need to Know

And

A Bunch of Stuff You Probably Don’t

• Ancestors of flowering plants diverged from gymnosperms 202-245 million years ago

• First flowering plants (angiosperms) emerged 160 million years ago.

• Became widespread 120 million years ago

• Oldest bee fossilized in amber 100 million years old• Scientists believe that bees first appeared ~120 million years ago• Fossil also has characteristics of wasps suggesting

common ancestor• 16,000 species of bees organized into 7 families• Bees are known to affect plant evolution by spreading pollen

and preferring to pollinate some types of plants over others• The bee's evolutionary tree originated from the family Melittidae• Bee origin is probably in Africa

Composition of Nectar – Co-Evolution

Plant Species Specific but Highly Correlated with PollinatorCarbohydrates 8-50% by weight Other Substances

fructose Organic Acids

glucose Terpenes

sucrose Alkaloids

arabinose Flavonoids

galactose Glycosides

mannose Vitamins

gentiobiose Phenolics

lactose Oils

maltose Metal Ionsmelibiose K+

trehelose Na+

melezitose Ca2+

raffinose Mg2+

stachyose Al3+

Amino Acids Fe3+

All 20 identified in Nectar Mn2+

10 are essential for honey bees

Alanine

Arginine

Serine

Proline

Glycine

Isoleucine

Threonine

Valine

Invertase

Honey bees convert Sucrose into Glucose and Fructose becauseSucrose tends to crystalize faster than either Glucose or Fructose.

Nectar and Honey are both low in Sucrose

Amino-acid Minimum required % of amino-acid in protein digested

Threonine 3

Valine 4

Methionine 1.5

Leucine 4.5

Iso-leucine 4

Phenylalanine 2.5

Lysine 3

Histidine 1.5

Arginine 3

Tryptophan 1

Essential Amino Acids for Honeybees

Flowering Plants/BeesSymbiotic Relationship

How is Honey Made

Composition of Honey

Compound Per 100 gram wet weight

Fructose 42.5g

Glucose 35.6g

Sucrose 1.3g

Riboflavin 0.038mg

Niacin 0.121mg

Pantothenic Acid 0.068mg

Vitamin B6 0.024mg

Folate 2ug

Vitamin C 0.5mg

Calcium (Calcium Citrate) 6mg

Iron (Iron Sulfate) 0.42ng

Magnesium (Magnesium Chloride) 2mg

Phosphorus (TriCalcium Phosphate) 4mg

Potassium (Potassium Chloride) 52mg

Sodium (Sodium Chloride) 4mg

Zinc (Zinc Citrate) 0.22mg

Amino Acids 0.3g

p-coumaric acid 0.1g

Bee BiologyHierarchy of the Hive

Worker Drone Queen

Bee BiologyBee Dissection

Bee BiologyCommunication – Waggle Dance

Bee BiologyWax Production

Bee BiologyWax Production

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Chemistry: Soil Science, Soil Testing, pH, Fertilizers, etc.BioChemistry: Soil Microorganisms, Plant diseases, Energy Transduction

in Plants, Basic Plant BiochemistryGeometry/Math: Field layout, Irrigation layout, Water Flow, Irrigation Rates

Liquid fertilizer applicationMarketing: Where to sell products, Value added ProductsRobotics: Design and build a mechanical harvesterSales: Integration with Marketing, Setting Sales Price by ProductFinance: Cost of Production, Cost of Sales, Profits, etc.Ag Science: Plantings and care, General maintenanceSummer Jobs: Employ ~10 HS students each summer, 7 in general labor,

1 sales, 1 marketing, 1 manager