The development of a bee, a drone and a uterus is divided into embryonic and postembryonic and consists of several stages: an egg, a larva, a pre-pupa, a pupa. The embryonic period begins from the moment of fertilization and is the process of the formation of a complex multicellular creature from an egg - a larva. The postembryonic stage is the process of transformation of a larva into an adult. By the way, bee larvae, young bees in any apiary are called "children".
The structure of the bee larva
The bee larva has a simple structure: a small head and a white worm-shaped body, consisting of abdominal and thoracic segments. The outer shell is covered with a thin chitinous layer.
Among the internal organs (the same as in an adult, only less developed), the intestine plays an important role, the front wall of which is presented in the form of a short tube with muscles. Their reduction allows the bee larva to absorb liquid food. Excretory organs stretch along the middle intestine, which occupies a good part of the body - 4 malpigium vessels. The hind gut has a curved shape with an anus at the end. The remnants of food do not fall into it, since the middle and hind intestines do not communicate with each other. The connection of these departments occurs at the end of the described stage. The heart of the larva is located in the dorsal region and consists of 12 chambers, while in an adult insect there are 5 of them. Respiratory organs are tracheal trunks spread over the entire body with multiple branches. The fatty layer, which makes up about 60-65% of the total body weight, is highly developed. The genitals and nervous system are in their infancy; eyes and olfactory organs are absent. The lower spinning glands are located on the lower lip. They produce a substance by which the larva spins a cocoon.
Artificial conclusion of the uterus: the basics
Ovaries are located between the intestine and the spinal vessel. The larvae of the working and uterine bees are similar in the number of egg tubes. During the pre-school and puppet stages, larval organs and tissues disintegrate. Egg tubes also degenerate, of which about 5 remain in the adult.
In the uterine larva, ovarian formation continues in the puppet stage. The formation of numerous egg tubules in the larva is biologically important: in case of death of the uterine larva, the bees are able to replace the "fistulous" uterus in return. This natural phenomenon formed the basis for the artificial withdrawal of queens.
Bee larva development
As soon as the larva emerges from the egg, it immediately lays at the bottom of the cell and falls into the caring arms of adult individuals, who immediately begin to zealously feed “their child”.
Nursing bees lay on the bottom of the cell a large amount of royal jelly (5 times the weight of the larva), produced in the pharyngeal glands and characterized by high nutritional properties. Milk of bee larvae contains fats, carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, vitamin B. The larva, by performing constant rotational, compressive and compressive movements of the body, continuously eats prepared supplies and grows right before our eyes.
Period of active growth and uncontrolled appetite
If the “newborn” individual weighing 0.1 mg has a length of 1.6 mm, then in a day it manages to grow another 1 mm. Two days later, its growth is already 6 mm. Regarding mass: after 5 days from the moment of its birth, its indicator exceeds the initial one by 1400-1500 times. Such an uncontrolled weight gain has a positive side: an enormous amount of nutrients accumulate in the body of the larva, which are a reserve during the period when nutrition is unavailable. Starting from the third day, nutrition becomes more diverse and enriched with a cereal of pollen and honey. In addition to providing the young generation with food, nurse bees constantly visit growing larvae every minute. The total number of visits for the entire larval stage is counted in thousands.
Sometimes it happens that bees throw out larvae. This circumstance occurs due to diseases (saccular brood, European foulbrood, ascospherosis and others) that hit the bee family, or this is done to regulate the quantitative indicator. Assuming that there is not enough food for everyone, the bees get rid of excess mouths. The release of larvae can also occur due to starvation.
Shedding: stages
The rapid growth of the larva does not affect the size of its outer garment - the shell, which is only slightly stretched. As soon as the last one becomes small, the bee larva, whose name among the beekeepers sounds like “baby”, immediately changes it to a larger and corresponding size, leaving the discarded clothes in the cell. In the process of growth and development of the larva, 4 molting occurs, each of which lasts about half an hour.
By the sixth day, the bee larva increases so much that it occupies the cell completely. At the same time, no cardinal changes occur with the larva itself and its organism. The first time the insect sheds 12-18 hours after birth. The second shell change occurs after 36 hours. The third time the robe is renewed after 60 hours from the time of hatching, and the last after 78-89 hours.
Pre-school stage larvae
Then the bee larva enters the pre-school stage. A bee seals it — elongated along the length of the cell and resting its head toward the hole — a breathable porous lid consisting of 2% water, 46% light brown mass with pollen and 58% wax. A sealed insect is immediately released from the accumulated food debris by compressing the walls of the stomach and tearing its back. This specific feature of getting rid of excrement only at the end of feeding helps maintain the necessary cleanliness in the hive, as well as protect the resulting feed from pollution.
Preparing to turn into a chrysalis
As soon as the larvae of bees in the combs were freed from undigested food debris, they immediately began to spin the cocoon, that is, to braid the inner cavity of the cell with the secret of spinning glands. The larva of the working bee in the process of such responsible work does not feed; the uterine individual is interrupted for food intake and creates a cocoon with an opening directed to the bottom of the cell. It is from there that the bee larva feeds on royal jelly in the process. The cocoon of working larvae has no holes. In the larval stage, the future bee is 6 days, drone - 7 days, uterus - 5 days.
The honey bee larva experiences another molt while in a cocoon. True, now such a process is not similar to the previous ones: a special fluid is released from the surface of the body, which contributes to the separation of the old and the formed new cuticle. With the last molt, the primordia of all appendages that were previously on the inner side of the body membrane extend outward and gradually form into the external parts of the body. In this way, the bee is preparing for transformation into a chrysalis. The pre-puppet stage in the bee and uterine larva lasts 2 days, in the drone - 2 times longer.
Adult insect formation
Changes that began in the pre-puppet stage gradually turn the shapeless insect into an adult: the abdomen, chest and head are formed, on which antennas, mouth organs, and also simple and complex eyes are already drawn. In the thoracic part, the beginnings of the legs and two pairs of wings are formed. On the abdomen, dorsal rings - tergites increase. The abdominal half rings are sternites, cover the lower part of the abdomen and are connected with each other and with tergites by a thin film. The fat body decreases sharply, because with the end of nutrition it is only a source of energy for the transformation of larval organs.
Nutrient reserves accumulated in the body during the intensive period of feeding are gradually formed in future organs. Along the way, there is a change in body color: from light yellow through purple to black or brown. The staining process begins with the eyes, goes to the head, chest and abdomen.
