THE LITTLE BOOK of bees
THE LITTLE BOOK of bees KARL WEISS with Carlos H. Vergara copernicus books An Imprint of Springer-Verlag
Originally published as Bienen und Bienenvölker, 1997 Verlag C. H. Beck ohg, München, Germany. 2002 Springer-Verlag New York, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Published in the United States by Copernicus Books, an imprint of Springer-Verlag New York, Inc. A member of BertelsmannSpringer Science+Business Media GmbH Copernicus Books 37 East 7th Street New York, NY 10003 www.copernicusbooks.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Weiss, Karl. [Bienen und Bienenvölker. English] The little book of bees / Karl Weiss, Carlos H. Vergara. p. cm. (Little book series) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-387-95252-7 (alk. paper) 1. Bees Behavior. I. Vergara, Carlos H. II. Title. III. Little book series (New York, N.Y.) QL563.W4513 2002 595.79 9 dc21 2002067537 Manufactured in the United States of America. Printed on acid-free paper. Translated by Douglas Haynes. 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ISBN 0-387-95252-7 SPIN 10795940
Preface vii chapter 1 Bees in the Animal Kingdom and in Earth s History 1 chapter 2 The Bee An Insect 15 chapter 3 What Does Social Mean in the Animal Kingdom? 25 Anonymous Societies 26 Family Associations 28 The Insect Colony 30 Social Classifications 34 chapter 4 The Traits of Bees and Their System 35 chapter 5 Solitary Bees and Social Development 45 Solitary Bees 45 On the Way to a Colony 63 Unique Mating Behavior 75 Threats from Outside, and Enemies Within the Ranks 77 chapter 6 Bumblebees and Stingless Bees 83 Bumblebees 84 Stingless Bees 97
chapter 7 On the Summit of Social Insect Life 107 The Genus Apis: Species and Races 108 The Domestic Honeybee 118 The Comb 118 The Colony and Its Individuals 122 Brood Rearing and Division of Labor 126 What Holds a Colony Together 128 How New Colonies Originate 130 Sensory Capabilities 132 Artists of Orientation 136 The Language of Honeybees 138 chapter 8 Nest Aids for Wild Bees 145 Abridged Bibliography and Further Reading 151 Index 155
Preface People generally think of bees as insects that fly out of hives and make us honey. Actually, there are many different kinds of bees, most of which live relatively hidden from our view. Maybe some of us are familiar with bumblebees, but who would recognize the solitary bees, which considerably outnumber the social bees? These little-observed bees are often dubbed wild bees to distinguish them from our honeymakers. But fundamentally, our honeybees are not domesticated either, no matter how much we ve tried over centuries to make them so. They have persistently retained the life skills nature gave them. Left to their own devices in the wild, they will easily survive and reproduce if they find a suitable nesting place, such as a hollow tree or a protected hole in the ground. Such bees, which often escape from apiaries as swarms, should, strictly speaking, be called wild. But this is not customary, so we won t refer to them that way, either. The best way for us to vii
define wild bees is to simply consider all bees that don t produce honey for people as wild. Our honeybee colonies are highly developed social entities with community characteristics we can hardly imagine. These complex social structures emerged out of simpler preliminary arrangements over long periods of Earth s history, as did all forms of the plant and animal kingdoms. Without a doubt, solitary bees preceded them. By investigating the evolutionary history of bees, we can get a sense of the wondrous variety of bees and bees social structures. This Little Book is not directed at specialists. Instead, it s intended for everyone who is interested in the solitary and social lives of bees. Although the text does not go beyond its prescribed scope as a Little Book, I ve made every effort to include all of the details necessary to understand bees in context. To improve readability, the text has not been burdened with footnotes. If, at the end of the book, you feel compelled to get acquainted with the world of bees through your own eyes by creating nests for solitary bees or bumblebees, or even a honeybee hive, you will find help and encouragement in the final chapter and in designated titles in the bibliography. This book aims not just to teach readers, but encourage them to participate and that would be the author s greatest reward. Karl Weiss viii