The Life Cycle of a Honey Bee: Full Diagram, Stages and Classification

Honey bees are social insects known for their teamwork, organised colonies, and, of course, the sweet honey they produce. They play a vital role in pollination, ensuring we have a variety of fruits, vegetables, and other plants. In this lesson, we will explore the life cycle of a honey bee, understand how they build their hives, find out how long honey bees live, and learn about honey production methods. We will also look at diagrams and add some unique tips and tricks for easy learning.

Introduction to Honey Bees

Honeybees belong to the genus Apis, and the most common species is Apis mellifera. This species is widely known for producing large quantities of honey and for its importance in agriculture. The practice of raising and managing honey bees for honey and other products is called apiculture or beekeeping.

A typical beehive may contain 20,000 to 50,000 bees. Sometimes, the population can even touch 80,000. These bees are divided into three main types:

1. Queen Bee: The only fertile female in the hive.

2. Worker Bees: Sterile females who perform all the tasks in the hive, like gathering food, feeding larvae, building honeycombs, and protecting the hive.

3. Drone Bees: Males whose primary role is to mate with the queen.

When studying the life cycle of a honey bee diagram, you will typically see a circular flow showing the egg at the centre, followed by the larva, pupa, and adult stages. Here is a simple way to visualise it:

1. Egg →

2. Larva (days 3 to 6) →

3. Pupa (cell sealed, physical features develop) →

4. Adult (emerges fully formed)

Stages of the Life Cycle of a Honey Bee

The life cycle of a honey bee occurs in four main stages:

1. Egg

2. Larva

3. Pupa

4. Adult

1. Egg Stage

• The queen bee is the only bee in the colony that lays eggs (2,000 to 3,000 in a day).

• The egg remains upright initially and then falls to its side by the third day.

• Fertilised eggs develop into female bees (workers or potential queens).

• Unfertilised eggs develop into male bees, called drones.

2. Larval Stage

• After three days, the egg hatches into a larva.

• All larvae (worker, drone, or future queen) are given “royal jelly” for the first three days.

• From day four onwards, only queen larvae continue to receive royal jelly, while worker and drone larvae are fed pollen and nectar (often referred to as "worker jelly").

• During the larval phase, the larva sheds its skin multiple times and grows rapidly.

• After about five to six days of larval development, worker bees seal the top of the cell with wax.

3. Pupal Stage

• Once sealed, the larvae transform into pupae.

• In this stage, body structures like wings, legs, eyes, and tiny hairs develop.

4. Adult Stage

• After the pupal stage, the adult bee emerges by chewing through the wax cap.

• How long do honey bees live? It depends on whether they are queen bees, worker bees, or drones:

• Queen bees reach adulthood in approximately 16 days.

• Worker bees take 18 to 22 days to emerge as adults.

• Drone bees require around 24 days.

• An adult queen bee can live for a few years, worker bees usually live for a few weeks to a few months (depending on the season), and drones often live only during the active breeding season.

Beehive Construction and Honey Production

Beeswax and Honeycomb

• Young worker bees produce beeswax from eight paired glands on their abdomen.

• The wax is secreted as a liquid which hardens when exposed to air.

• Bees often chew the wax to keep it malleable, using it to build the honeycomb cells.

Honey Making

• Honey bees collect nectar from flowers and store it in their “honey stomach.”

• In the beehive, nectar is passed from one bee to another, reducing its water content.

• Eventually, the nectar is deposited into the cells of the honeycomb. Worker bees fan their wings to evaporate the remaining moisture, turning nectar into honey.

• A strong colony can produce an impressive amount of honey—some estimates suggest up to 50 to 60,000 pounds over the hive’s lifetime, though the bees themselves only need about 25% to survive.

Bee Bread

• As bees collect nectar, they also gather pollen in their “pollen baskets” on their hind legs.

• This pollen is taken back to the hive and mixed with nectar to form “bee bread,” a rich source of protein for worker bees and developing larvae.

What are the 7 Levels of Classification for a Honey Bee?

1. Kingdom: Animalia

2. Phylum: Arthropoda

3. Class: Insecta

4. Order: Hymenoptera

5. Family: Apidae

6. Genus: Apis

7. Species: Apis mellifera

An easy mnemonic to remember the general taxonomic ranks for classification (Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species) is:

King Philip Can Often Find Green Spiders.

(This can be adapted to recall any species classification, including honey bees.)

Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)

Beekeepers began noticing a sudden disappearance of large numbers of bees in 2006, a phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Possible reasons include:

• Climate changes

• Genetically modified crops

• Overuse of pesticides

• Electromagnetic radiation (e.g., from mobile phones)

Research continues to find solutions and protect these vital pollinators.

Additional Facts and Tips

1. Pollination Speed: Honey bees can fly up to 20 miles per hour when searching for pollen and around 17 miles per hour when returning with nectar.

2. Role in Agriculture: It is believed that one-third of our food supply depends on pollination by honey bees.

3. Life Span Variation: How long do honey bees live? Queens can live for a few years, while workers and drones have shorter life spans.

Quick Quiz on Honey Bees

Try this short quiz to check your knowledge:

1. Which bee in the colony lays eggs?
   a) Worker Bee
   b) Drone Bee
   c) Queen Bee
   d) All of the above

2. How many stages are there in the life cycle of a honey bee?
   a) 2
   b) 3
   c) 4
   d) 5

3. What are male honey bees called?
   a) Drones
   b) Workers
   c) Soldiers
   d) Larvae

4. What do we call the practice of raising bees?
   a) Forestry
   b) Apiculture
   c) Aquaculture
   d) Poultry

5. What is ‘bee bread’?
   a) Bread for human consumption
   b) A mixture of pollen and nectar
   c) Fungal growth in the hive
   d) Leftover honey

Answer Key

1. c) Queen Bee

2. c) 4

3. a) Drones

4. b) Apiculture

5. b) A mixture of pollen and nectar

Related Topics

• Cell Division

• Digestive System

• Heart Diagram

• Fungi Examples

• Forest Conservation