Beehive and Kicking Trivia Quiz

Answer: Africanised honeybee

Africanised or killer bees are highly aggressive descendants from African colonies, which have cross-bred with both the Apis Mellifera (European Honey-bee) and native species. In Australia, we have a number of varieties of stingless honeybees, which are useful in hot northern conditions; but the most commonly used are the European varieties, as they provide large quantities of honey, and are not aggressive if left undisturbed.

Answer: Brood box

The brood box is where the new swarm is placed. The Queen, her workers and some drones take residence in the box, which contains upright frames "primed" with sheets of beeswax or wax coated plastic with shallow hexagonal dimples as a base for the honeycomb. This is where the Queen will commence laying eggs in the cells cleaned and prepared for her by the workers.

Answer: Drone

Drones are useless mouths to feed within the hive, and during the cooler days of approaching winter, the majority of drones will be evicted from the hive by the workers. In spring the surviving drones will follow an emerging queen from the hive to mate with her. This 'nuptial flight' will provide the queen with enough semen to last the rest of her life, which is spent in laying eggs.

Answer: Flick off the sting and apply a puff of smoke

Quickly flick off the bee, and brush off the sting. Don't grasp the top of the sting, as it is a bulb filled with venom. You should have your smoker in your hand or very close. A strong puff of smoke on your skin will disguise the scent created by the now dying bee. Smoke also encourages the workers to enter the hive and gorge themselves on honey. Cover up quickly.

Don't do any of the alternatives. Continue to move calmly, use a little smoke, and the bees should calm down.

Answer: Place a box above the brood

Install a new box with prepared frames above the brood box. Place a Queen excluder between the two boxes. The excluder is a grid which will allow workers free access, but the Queen, which is larger, will be forced to remain in the brood box. All the cells in the super will be used as honey and pollen stores by the workers.

Answer: Propolis

Bees collect propolis to coat the inside of the hive and strengthen the comb. Bees will also use it to coat any small animal (such as a mouse) which may have died inside the hive. It has antibiotic and antiseptic qualities. Varroa mite is a constant threat which has just reached Australia's north. Hopefully it can be contained.

There is a need to be aware of the dangers of foulbrood, wax moth and worst of all, colony collapse disorder.

Answer: Reduce use of systemic pesticides containing neonicotinoids

There is a growing body of evidence pointing to pesticides containing neonicotinoids lower the immune response of bees, and affect their behaviour including their ability to navigate. If you wish to promote honey bees in your area, consider avoiding these chemicals. There are many pesticides and herbicides which are not so dangerous to bee health.

As for the wrong choices, we need to provide the bees with a wide variety of flowering plants, a reliable water source, and always remember to leave the bees an adequate supply of honey to ensure their food supply.

Answer: the worker

Drones do not carry a sting. Workers' stings remain in their victim's skin and tear away from the bee, opening its abdomen; the worker dies soon after.
The queen's sting can be used multiple times, but is generally only used on rival queens.

Answer: Two to three years

Barring accidents or hostile activity, the average queen will live two to three years. As the matriarch of a colony of 50,000 or so workers at any time, which only live about 6 weeks in maturity, she has laid an immense quantity of eggs in her lifetime.

Answer: At least 3,000 BC

While it is likely that beekeeping occurred earlier in a haphazard fashion, it is certain that organised beekeeping was established in pre-dynastic Egypt. The bee was adopted at that time as a royal symbol, and there was an official 'sealer of the honey' during the first dynasty (3100 - 2890 BC).