How Do Bees Build Hives?
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Scouts
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When bees decide to move to a new home and begin a new colony, "scouts" head out to find a location. These bees are able to travel many miles form the original hive but still find the way back to the colony. Wild bees usually prefer rock crevices, hollow trees and other small, enclosed areas for hives. Once the scouts have found a suitable location, they return to the colony and lead the other bees there. The bees, including the queen, fill their stomachs with honey for the long journey to the site of the new nest. Food that is not digested is regurgitated and used as building materials for the new hive.
Forming the Hive
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Once the bees arrive at the location of the new hive, they use honey from the previous nest to begin constructing new cells. By chewing up the honey until it is soft, beeswax is produced and is used to form hexagonal cells called honeycomb. These six-sided cells are used to store honey and for the Queen to lay eggs. Worker bees crowd together inside the hive to keep the temperature at a constant 86 to 95 degrees, the optimum temperature for producing both honey and young bees. With more bees produced by the queen, the hive produces more comb, honey and bees helping establish the new hive.
Propolis
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To plug gaps in the hive walls, a substance called propolis is collected from trees such as poplars and conifers,. This substance is also used as a sealant or cement to protect the hive from predators. To help protect the hive, young workers stand guard at the hive entrance and unplugged gaps to check those looking for entry, adding more protection from predators.
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