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Dwarf Honey Bee: 4. Piece of damaged comb

on 31st October 2018

Dwarf Honey Bee: 1. Colony; 2. What happens when it rains?”; 3. Bees have absconded.

The absconding of the bees from the nest exposed the honeycomb LINK. Acquiring a piece of damaged comb allowed for detailed observations. Most of the cells were empty. There were a few cells with bees in them. A few bees were trying to emerge from the cells (above).

There were also newly emerged young bees on the comb (above). These bees measure 9-10 mm long with forewings about 6 mm long (below, scale in mm).

These newly emerged bees were left to fend for themselves. They were foraging on the damaged comb looking for whet honey and pollen that were left among the mostly empty brood cells (video below). All the worker bees that would normally look after them were no longer around.

There were also tiny white larvae seen, most probably those of worker bees displaced from the cells. Also, one extremely large larva was seen, measuring about 20 mm long, about twice the length of the young worker bees (below). Can this be a larva of a drone, as the drone is much larger than a worker bee?

YC Wee
Singapore
12th October 2018

If you like this post please tap on the Like button at the left bottom of page. Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors/contributors, and are not endorsed by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM, NUS) or its affiliated institutions. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion before making any decisions or judgements based on the information presented.

YC Wee

Dr Wee played a significant role as a green advocate in Singapore through his extensive involvement in various organizations and committees: as Secretary and Chairman for the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch), and with the Nature Society (Singapore) as founding President (1978-1995). He has also served in the Nature Reserve Board (1987-1989), Nature Reserves Committee (1990-1996), National Council on the Environment/Singapore Environment Council (1992-1996), Work-Group on Nature Conservation (1992) and Inter-Varsity Council on the Environment (1995-1997). He is Patron of the Singapore Gardening Society and was appointed Honorary Museum Associate of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) in 2012. In 2005, Dr Wee started the Bird Ecology Study Group. With more than 6,000 entries, the website has become a valuable resource consulted by students, birdwatchers and researchers locally and internationally. The views and opinions expressed in this article are his own, and do not represent those of LKCNHM, the National University of Singapore or its affiliated institutions.

Other posts by YC Wee

2 Responses

  1. i loved seeing this video.. to see the struggle for life at this minute scale, not normally available.. sadly these young bees are losing that struggle..

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