Today’s letter N is for Nosonov. The Nosonov pheromone, as you might guess, is produced by the Nosonov gland. This important honey bee pheromone is emitted by worker bees to orient other workers to the colony. It used during swarming to direct workers to the new home, and whenever workers find themselves confused or disoriented as to the location of the hive. If you see a bee at the entrance with her butt up in the air, they are likely emitting this pheromone.
Continue readingMonth: January 2024
M is for Mandibles
Happy New Year! Sorry for disappearing on you these past two weeks, but ready to go again. Today’s letter M is for Mandibles. Honey bees use their mandibles to emerge from their capped comb, build comb, and pretty much everything else they do during their short lives.
Continue readingL is for Larva
Happy New Year! Today’s letter L is for Larva. Becoming a larva is the second of four stages in honey bee development: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The first three stages occur in the comb, of course, with adult bees maintaining the hive (mostly the female workers!). A honey bee larva molts 5 times, meaning there are 5 instar stages while a larva. You can find a detailed discussion on honey bee development from Jamie Ellis at the University of Florida.
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Bees with eeb 