A Worker Bees Life Cycle

The sweet little sugar fairies are constantly working hard for the hive. From the day they are born they have duties and obligations to uphold. Let's take a closer look at what the life of a worker bee is like! From the moment it is born until about 2 days old the baby bee's job is to clean the cells of the hive. This starts with the very cell that they were born in. This activity is also beneficial for keeping the brood warm.

At about 3 days of age the job transitions to more of a caregiving manor. They begin to feed the older larvae and this will continue until about 5 days of age. By the ripe age of 6 days they then begin to care for the younger larvae and are responsible for the feeds. This will continue until about 11 days old. 12 to 17 days old a worker bee can have many tasks including carrying food, building combs, and producing wax. They may also begin to take responsibility of undertaker duties. From about 18 to 21 days they get promoted to security detail. This is important for protecting the hive entrance and ensuring the security and well being of the hive.

Finally at about day 22 until the end of their life the worker bee is responsible for flying to and from the hive collecting pollen, nectar, water and anything else that they hive may need. For those wondering a worker bee will typically live for about 45 days. This means that the work bee spends about half of their lives flying to and from the hive collecting the essentials.