Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: What does a nurse bee look like?  (Read 15647 times)

Offline DayValleyDahlias

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1629
  • Gender: Female
    • DayValleyDahlia's Blog
What does a nurse bee look like?
« on: January 17, 2008, 04:39:02 pm »
"Make sure there are plenty of nurse bees"  How can I determine..who a nurse bee is?

Offline randydrivesabus

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1072
Re: What does a nurse bee look like?
« Reply #1 on: January 17, 2008, 05:24:26 pm »
the ones attending the brood.

Offline tig

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 236
Re: What does a nurse bee look like?
« Reply #2 on: January 17, 2008, 07:42:53 pm »
they are lighter in color, the eyes are bigger, have a fuzzy appearance, soft bodies and cannot sting you.

Offline JP

  • The Swarm King
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 11709
  • Gender: Male
  • I like doing cut-outs, but I love catching swarms!
    • JPthebeeman.com
Re: What does a nurse bee look like?
« Reply #3 on: January 17, 2008, 09:15:04 pm »
they are lighter in color, the eyes are bigger, have a fuzzy appearance, soft bodies and cannot sting you.

Tig, Dayvalley was asking about nurse bees, not drones.

Sincerely, JP
My Youtube page is titled JPthebeeman with hundreds of educational & entertaining videos.

My website JPthebeeman.com http://jpthebeeman.com

Offline Michael Bush

  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 19832
  • Gender: Male
    • bushfarms.com
Re: What does a nurse bee look like?
« Reply #4 on: January 17, 2008, 09:19:15 pm »
If you shake bees off of open brood, most will be nurse bees.
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
My book:  ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
-------------------
"Everything works if you let it."--James "Big Boy" Medlin

Offline rdy-b

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 2286
Re: What does a nurse bee look like?
« Reply #5 on: January 17, 2008, 09:36:51 pm »
nurse bees are the newly hatched and young bees-the way you make sure you have plenty of nurse bees is to always have available brood of all stages to maintain the supply of young nurse bees---very beneficial to the success of your colony- RDY-B

Offline tig

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 236
Re: What does a nurse bee look like?
« Reply #6 on: January 17, 2008, 10:05:34 pm »
JP i was describing the young nurse bees.  they don't sting and look like what i said.

Offline Moonshae

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 988
  • Gender: Male
Re: What does a nurse bee look like?
« Reply #7 on: January 17, 2008, 10:10:28 pm »
JP i was describing the young nurse bees.  they don't sting and look like what i said.

I've never heard that workers' eyes get smaller as they mature.
"The mouth of a perfectly contented man is filled with beer." - Egyptian Proverb, 2200 BC

Offline johnnybigfish

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 2039
  • Gender: Male
    • The World of Johnnybigfish
Re: What does a nurse bee look like?
« Reply #8 on: January 17, 2008, 10:17:23 pm »
 Hmmm..I thought only the drones couldnt sting as their "Things" are developed into "mating tools" and i thought ALL other bees but the queen had their "Egg laying parts" converted into stingers when they were babies.
Did i learn something new tonite?
your friend,
john

Offline rdy-b

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 2286
Re: What does a nurse bee look like?
« Reply #9 on: January 17, 2008, 10:18:16 pm »
they are lighter in color, the eyes are bigger, have a fuzzy appearance, soft bodies and cannot sting you.
 to bad it is not that easy -they can sting- 8-) RDY-B

Offline rdy-b

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 2286
Re: What does a nurse bee look like?
« Reply #10 on: January 17, 2008, 10:22:08 pm »
Hmmm..I thought only the drones couldn't sting as their "Things" are developed into "mating tools" and i thought ALL other bees but the queen had their "Egg laying parts" converted into stingers when they were babies.
Did i learn something new tonight?
your friend,
john
dont think theirs any developing or converting taking place ether  :shock: :-D ;) RDY-B

Offline the kid

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 164
  • Gender: Male
Re: What does a nurse bee look like?
« Reply #11 on: January 17, 2008, 10:30:21 pm »
I am in the undersanding only the drone can not sting ,,,    
in that case if you took a frame of capped brood only no other bees
put them in a nuc ,, when they emerged .. you could take a hand full
of the bees in your hand and squeeze ,,,, with out getting stung ......
that I want to see you do ,,  
how old befor they can sting???????
reason I say this is ,,I have never seen this in any book ,,
or ever heard it
I know Im a greener then grass 2 year keeper ,,,, but
the kid

Offline johnnybigfish

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 2039
  • Gender: Male
    • The World of Johnnybigfish
Re: What does a nurse bee look like?
« Reply #12 on: January 17, 2008, 10:53:43 pm »
Lol!!
Ok, how 'bout "selective genetic outcome" instead of developed and converted?
I got caught up in the moment trying to keep this family oriented and simple for people like me.
Your friend,
john

Offline rdy-b

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 2286
Re: What does a nurse bee look like?
« Reply #13 on: January 17, 2008, 10:59:19 pm »
laying workers lay eggs and sting   ;)  "selective genetic outcome" :lol:  sold for a dollar RDY-B

Offline johnnybigfish

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 2039
  • Gender: Male
    • The World of Johnnybigfish
Re: What does a nurse bee look like?
« Reply #14 on: January 17, 2008, 11:16:42 pm »
Good deal RDB-Y!!
send me a twenty and i'll mail back your change!
this is what friends are all about!
your friend,
john

Offline Brian D. Bray

  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Galactic Bee
  • ********
  • Posts: 7369
  • Gender: Male
  • I really look like this, just ask Cindi.
    • http://spaces.msn.com/thecoonsden
Re: What does a nurse bee look like?
« Reply #15 on: January 17, 2008, 11:50:26 pm »
"Make sure there are plenty of nurse bees"  How can I determine..who a nurse bee is?

They usually have a funny cap and a stethascope around their necks and a thermometer in one hand.
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Offline DayValleyDahlias

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1629
  • Gender: Female
    • DayValleyDahlia's Blog
Re: What does a nurse bee look like?
« Reply #16 on: January 18, 2008, 01:35:05 am »
Oh dear goodness Brian !

Offline NWIN Beekeeper

  • Professional Beekeeper
  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 338
  • Gender: Male
Re: What does a nurse bee look like?
« Reply #17 on: January 18, 2008, 04:03:59 am »
[they are lighter in color]

They have more hair so they appear more yellow, but there isn't a color change as they age.

[the eyes are bigger]

I have not noticed a difference in size.
I have noticed a few old field bees with bi-focals or cataract sunglasses.  8-)

[have a fuzzy appearance]

This is totally true.

[soft bodies and cannot sting you]

For a couple days as the exoskeleton hardens.
I have read that the make up the stinger has to cure and harden too.
But bees can bee nurse bees for weeks (this is only a matter of a few days).
Young bees don't serve as guard bees until they get older (past the nurse stage).
So, young bees tend not to be as defensive of the hive, but will sting if crushed.
So all in all, nurse bees can sting, but normally won't.

To keeps young bees from fouling the brood cells, their digestive tract and rear end are some of the last parts to be developed. The stinger has attachment to the gut muscles.
There is nothing new under the sun. Only your perspective changes to see it anew.

Offline CBEE

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 353
  • Gender: Male
Re: What does a nurse bee look like?
« Reply #18 on: January 18, 2008, 09:08:08 am »
Brian beat me to it  :-D

Offline Michael Bush

  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 19832
  • Gender: Male
    • bushfarms.com
Re: What does a nurse bee look like?
« Reply #19 on: January 18, 2008, 07:50:28 pm »
When you "Make sure there are plenty of nurse bees" you don't look at the bees.  You look at the comb you shake them off of.  If you shake them off of open brood then most of them will be nurse bees.

But the descriptions are accurate.
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
My book:  ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
-------------------
"Everything works if you let it."--James "Big Boy" Medlin

 

anything