Wild bees in comparison with domestic brethren are characterized by great efficiency and endurance. Insects have good health, they are able to adapt to various weather conditions. The article discusses habitats, the benefits of honey, the diet of bees, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of breeding.
Description and characteristic
Wild bees are different from domestic ones. They are much smaller than a domestic individual, on average, the body length is 2-3 centimeters. They differ in monophonic color, but there are specimens with several shades, usually muffled, not as bright as those of domesticated relatives. The chest is protected by a shell, the front wings are longer than the hind ones, and the hairline is much thicker - it warms insects in the winter.
The largest wild bees live in Indonesia, their length can reach up to 39 mm.
On the back of the body are black and yellow stripes, have wide, flat legs, covered with hairs, necessary for collecting pollen. The proboscis is well developed. The eyes are arranged so that almost everything gets into the overview of the insect. Bees are able to see the road ahead and on the sides, as well as a little of what is behind us. The main defense of any bee is the sting. In a wild bee, it predominates with a slightly different glandular structure. At the same time, insects are not afraid to use their “weapons”; both noise and a bad smell can make them attack.
All wild bees are characterized by pollination of various plant species. Among them there are both single individuals and flocks of 20 thousand bees. Lonely insects pollinate plants, but are not able to form honey. Most often, they organize working colonies, consisting of 20 working individuals. But such families are able to exist only a year.
A distinctive feature of bees is the aggressive nature. As soon as they feel the danger, they can use the glandular sting, which both the uterus and the working individuals have. They react to any noise and pungent smell, as wild bees have a huge number of enemies:
- Animals love to taste sweet honey. In such situations, insects often attack thieves with a swarm.
- Also, enemies of wild bees are considered social insects, including the uterus, working individuals, male drones.
The division of labor between individuals depends on the age of the insects. There are bees of a nurse, scout, picker, etc. The main function is uterine fertilization. After wintering, they are not able to reproduce. Because of this, before the cold, other individuals of the swarm drive them out of the hive.
The uterus lays eggs. Worker bees obey her. They can collect nectar, grow brood and more. They are characterized by increased resistance to most diseases that, for domestic insects, result in death. Wild bees can tolerate frosts down to -50 degrees. Possess more toxic poison.
Dangerous "wild" individuals
Wild bees living in natural conditions and not tamed by humans can be very dangerous. They slopes immediately to defend themselves in case of any impending danger. Insects are aggressive in nature and can bite both animals and humans. If wild bees settled near the house, this neighborhood is very unpleasant, not only because the noise that the swarm of bees makes will interfere, but because their bites can become a serious problem.
A bite from one bee can make a person allergic. If a person is bitten by several wild bees at the same time, this can turn into a tragedy - the insect venom is very concentrated than that of domestic relatives.
If a wild bee has bitten, call an ambulance or take such measures:
- Remove the sting.
- The wound is treated with alcohol.
- To remove the poison, thoroughly rinse the wound with salt water.
- After all the procedures, a piece of ice or a cold compress is applied to the bite site.
You need to drink plenty of fluids containing ascorbic acid. It can be a rosehip infusion or tea with lemon.
What are wild bees?
According to their organization, representatives of the bee species are divided into several forms:
- Single. In nature, there are many varieties of bees that lead a solitary lifestyle. One female lays eggs and grows offspring. Such bees are not characterized by the production of wax and honey, and pollination often occurs by type: one type of bee is one species of plant. If the population of a certain species of wild single bees disappears, the threat of extinction of the corresponding plants increases to the limit.
- Semisocial. They did not study these bees, but it is known that there are many such varieties. Bees tend to group in small colonies, usually 10-12 individuals. This group has a minimum of bee-workers. Such bees live only 1 year, only the most prolific females are able to survive the winter.
- Public. Such bee colonies are highly resistant to disease. They are characterized by high ability to work, slightly smaller in comparison with domestic bees. Some varieties include a thick, fleecy coating and an aggressive character.
Where do they live?
A honey bee is considered a valuable variety, which is very rare today. Many individuals live in Bashkiria, a lot of work is being done to preserve this species: they build entire reserves with an abundance of hollow trees, which ensures the survival of bees.
As a rule, bees settle in hollows of trees, but often in practice it turns out differently. The main condition is the presence of a spacious place, protected from direct sunlight and strong wind. It is very important that a pond is located nearby. For this reason, bees are often found in rocky or earthen crevices.
Over time, wild bees chose to settle next to people, because of which insects often choose an attic for their home, a nook in a barn or garage.
About life
Bees lead an active lifestyle. They are hard workers who take care of creating comfortable conditions. They tend to build a house, multiply and eat.
How to build a house?
Wild bees are able to build their homes, both in the ground and in a hollow tree. When building a house in the ground, the dwelling more closely resembles a tunnel with various branches and exits. Under the ground can be a large house where a huge bee family lives. The process of building a content is complicated. A bee is characterized by making a move in the ground, while it needs to take care that the ground does not collapse during the passage. For these purposes, the insect uses its saliva, after strengthening the walls, the entire house is additionally lubricated with abdominal secretion.
After solidification, the dwelling will not suffer from rain or from the collapse of the earth, because the walls are solidly hardened and they are not afraid of any weather conditions. In the house, bees lay eggs and store the collected nectar.
But honey bees like the village in a hollow tree, because there is a need for processing nectar. If you look inside their housing, there will be many cells that occupy the hollow area.
What do they eat?
Food for any wild bee is nectar collected from plants and flowers. Wild bees prefer plants such as sage, linden, bird cherry, chicory. They are also attracted by coltsfoot, thyme and other fragrant plants.
Breeding process
After the queen bee flies out of the nest, drones accompany it. During the mating season, the male and female mate. The uterus returns to the nest, where it lays up to 2 thousand eggs daily, while drones that are no longer needed are expelled.
The life expectancy of the uterus is about 5 years. Over this period of time, she manages to lay more than 2 million eggs.
Where and how do they winter?
A distinctive characteristic of bees is their susceptibility to cold, which is why beekeepers have to carry out a huge number of activities so that insects can survive the cold without much loss. Nobody creates such conditions for wild bees, and they have to take care of themselves on their own:
- Insects get their food by storing a huge amount of food for the winter.
- They drive drones out of their home, continue to actively multiply and equip their home. If there are any cracks or holes in it, they are immediately shut up.
- Honey bees migrate to the lower part of their home, where there is no feed supply. Here they form a ball and are in constant motion. If they stop, freeze and die.
Hives
In the natural environment, various types of hives are found, including those located on trees. They are small bags made of dry leaves, grass, and natural adhesives. Before the onset of cold weather, the bees actively work: they cover the cracks with propolis, grow young brood, and expel lazy drones.
After the work is completed, the bees gather at the bottom of the hive. This place is considered to be the warmest, there are no honeycombs in it.
Earth bees, like ants, settle in groups and break through a lot of moves underground. At the end of the move, they position the hole, ramming it with their paws, and moistening it with their saliva.
So the bees create compact and safe dwellings for themselves, in each of them there is an egg on a pillow of flower nectar. Saliva freezes, becomes a solid film, due to which neither water nor cold penetrates into the houses.
How are wild bees different from domestic insects?
Due to the fact that both domestic and wild bees belong to the same species category, they still have common features:
- and domestic and wild bee colonies live in close-knit organized groups;
- both of these species use a sting when they feel imminent danger;
- each bee in the hive fulfills its duties: working bees, drones, uterus, melliferous individuals;
- have the same parts of the body, and the distinguishing features are trifles;
- both domestic and wild bees create honeycombs for laying honey.
Bees differ in such signs:
- Wild bees predominate in gray, a characteristic yellow color is not available. Some varieties do not have clear stripes on the body at all.
- A wild bee is aggressive in nature, capable of attacking an animal or person if it does not like the smell or the slightest noise.
- Wild individuals have strong immunity, which can not be said about domestic bees. They can survive even the cold at a temperature of -50 degrees.
- Un domesticated insects are characterized by hard work, activity, the ability to collect nectar and make honey. As a result, in preparation for the cold, wild bees make more reserves.
- Some wild representatives have a “fur” coating and a protective shell on the chest.
- In wild honey bees, the body is smaller than in domestic animals, on average it reaches 2-3 centimeters in length. But there are also large representatives.
How to get rid of wild bees?
Unlike simple, domestic insects, wild bees are considered very dangerous. Their poison is much more toxic, which is why a bite can pose a serious threat, especially for a child, or a person suffering from allergies. A mass attack can be fatal. It is important to know how to properly drive wild bees if they settle on a territory already occupied by humans.
Initially, a simpler method is used: they call a veterinary service or any similar organization that can catch insects and resettle in a safe place for them to live.
If there is no such service in the city, you will have to solve the problem yourself:
- You need to create a hive bait ordinary wooden or cardboard box, disguised as a tree.
- After preparing the bait, it is placed near the home of wild bees, uterine pheromone or lemongrass oil is dripped inside the false hive, which attracts the attention of insects. Bees are especially sensitive to smells, due to which they will quickly move to a new place if they like it.
- After the bees migrate, after having put on a protective suit, the beehive is closed and put in a dense bag.
- The challenge in this situation is to find a new home for the bees. They are transferred or transported to a new place, they remove the bag so that the insects do not behave aggressively, they smoke it with a smoke. The hive is not taken, it is left with bees.
Bee fishing and breeding
To catch wild bees, beekeepers use a special trap, which is made from ordinary plywood, they also carry out the following manipulations:
- Make a box where they install 4-8 frames. As frames, several frames with old honeycombs are suitable, the rest are pulled with wire.
- Next, you need to climb a tree at a level of 3-6 meters above the ground, hang a trap. It is advisable to install the structure on a tree near a clearing or clear-cutting, preferably with coniferous trees around.
- The box is fixed using slings or ropes. Then leave it for a while. The capture of bees especially falls on the swarm period, which lasts from May 25 to July 10. The trap is checked every 7-10 days.
- After the swarm moves to the box, it is carefully removed from the tree and transferred to the desired location. The operation is performed after sunset, when all the toilers return to their new home. Climb quietly onto a tree and close the container, fixing it well so that during the descent to the ground, the box would not open. It is required to take into account that the weight of the captured swarm and crate as a whole will be more than 5 kilograms.
A swarm of wild bees can really be trapped, but breeding at home will fail. Experienced beekeepers in the forests and near houses in Bashkiria install a cut deck. This is beekeeping, which is considered a very ancient type of beekeeping. In such a deck, the swarm will continue to live its usual life, and the main task of the beekeeper is the timely collection of honey from wild bees.
Insects are very selective, which is why they are not always ready to move to any wood. It is recommended to rub the cut decks with aromatic herbs, build a honeycomb, and only after settling to collect part of the honey. Otherwise, the bees can fly from the ravaged nest. If their place was chosen, then they can take root in it.
The benefits of wild honey
The collection of “wild” honey takes place in the autumn period, it manages to fully ripen, gain useful substances, and soak in its delicate, natural aroma and taste. Honey is popularly used in cosmetology, folk and traditional medicine. It is generally accepted that it allows you to cope with various diseases, including diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, bronchi, heart, lungs, etc. It also helps to reduce inflammation and pain.
"Wild" honey is a special product with unique healing properties due to its rich composition:
- many vitamins;
- bee bread, wax and propolis;
- macro- and microelements;
- mineral substances.
It is a rich and fully ripened product. The maximum value is obtained by manual collection, which allows you not to disrupt the mode of activity of insects. When processing raw materials do not apply any mechanical intervention.
Traditional medicine often refers to the healing properties of wild honey. It is noted that honey helps increase appetite, improve metabolism.With its help, it is possible to normalize cardiac activity and capillary patency, to cure diseases associated with the gastrointestinal tract.
What other problems does honey help to fight:
- contributes to the treatment of kidney disease;
- improves the treatment of respiratory diseases;
- allows you to improve the condition at elevated body temperature, with inflammation, with angina;
- improves blood circulation of internal organs;
- effectively relieves muscle pain and spasms in the joints.
Distinctive features of the product is a dark and saturated shade, similarity with buckwheat. Honey is dominated by a heady aroma with a slight admixture of smoke, a viscous very thick mass composition, astringency.
Advantages and disadvantages of wild bees
Despite the fact that wild bees like only a few plants for collecting honey, this is not considered an obstacle for them to collect record quantities in the main collection period. They can build many large honeycombs, which helps to facilitate the work of beekeepers.
The advantage is that the breeding of this breed of bees is called "dry signet of honey." Wild bees seal honey in honeycombs so that an air gap remains between it and the top. At the same time, the finished frame with honeycombs has a very beautiful view, which is especially appreciated by beekeepers.
Upon the onset of the main period of honey collection, the bees tend to fill the extensions in the hives with honey, which greatly facilitates selection in the apiary.
A positive moment is considered not only increased resistance to diseases, but also the high efficiency of bees, large volumes of harvested honey and its excellent quality.
The disadvantages of wild bees include an overly aggressive character, because insects can get angry with any intervention in the hive, which is why it is necessary to work with them only after having put on a special protective suit.
Also minus is the possible decrease in honey collection in the absence of sufficient flowering of plants that insects prefer. But this happens infrequently, wild bees manage to find a suitable source for collecting honey during the period of the main flight.
A negative factor is the tendency of wild bees to actively swarm, from which it is very difficult to breed a swarm. Due to the powerful instinct of reproduction, the population is able to survive in difficult climatic conditions, but this can make honey collection difficult.
Wild bees, although dangerous insects, are considered very useful for nature and humans, because it is not difficult to characterize them. They are able-bodied, due to which they lead an active lifestyle, which allows them to collect a large amount of very tasty honey, which is later collected by beekeepers.
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Ukraine. City: Kryvyi Rih
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