Nurse Bee
Lexikon
A young worker bee that tends the brood from about the fourth day of life until the tenth or twelfth day.
A young worker bee that tends the brood from about the fourth day of life until the tenth or twelfth day. During this time her hypopharyngeal glands in the head are fully developed, and she feeds the larvae with the protein-rich secretion she produces from pollen and honey. Older larvae additionally receive a mixture of honey and pollen.
For the glands to function, the nurse bee needs plenty of pollen. If it is lacking, brood-rearing performance drops immediately and the brood nest stays patchy. This is why the pollen supply in spring is just as important as the nectar.
After this phase, the hypopharyngeal glands regress, and the bee moves on to comb building, guard duty, and finally foraging.
Quellen (4)
- Die Honigmacher (Deutscher Imkerbund / Landwirtschaftskammer NRW): Ammenbiene
- Die Honigmacher: Ammenbienen (Anfängerschulung, Arbeitsteilung im Volk)
- Bayerische Landesanstalt für Weinbau und Gartenbau, Fachzentrum Bienen: Biologie der Bienen (Arbeitsteilung und Drüsensysteme)
- Die Honigmacher: Futtersaftdrüsen (stärkste Aktivität vom 6. bis 12. Tag, spätere Rückbildung)