Eusocial

Like poorly behaved bar patrons getting evicted, I watch many getting physically thrown out.  Some try their best to cling onto the enforcer, pleading for another chance, but they eventually fall off and wander aimlessly in small circles near the main door. It's a pleasant summer afternoon and I cannot understand what is happening since so many are scattered across the ground.

I'm passing the neighbor's beehive and am stopped cold to watch nature in action.

Deceased workers at the base of the hive.

At a very steady pace, 2 battling honeybees rumble out of the slot at the bottom of the weathered, wooden beehive and tumble two inches onto the concrete patio. The dualing tango is interesting to watch since it's obvious the stronger bee is eliminating the weaker one from the hive. But, the weaker one is desperate not to be cast out in exile and appears almost in a panic to grab and hold onto the stronger bee as if pleading for leniency.  Eventually, the stronger bee breaks free and returns inside the hive to repeat the process.

Dozens and dozens of little honeybee carcasses litter the cement and swirl together as a breeze sweeps past.  Ousted bees appear to accept their pending death and stay near the hive to await joining the motionless pile.  My neighbor notices my stalled effort to come to his back door and joins me to see what I ams gawking over.

I was mesmirized as The Bee Whisperer explained the heirarchy of the beehive being eusocial--the highest level of organization of animal sociality that is found with ants, bees and termites. I knew a hive has only one queen but was stunned to learn she lays 1,500 eggs a day during peak production--that's a whole lot of honeycombs to build and fill. She will produce up to 250,000 eggs a year and possibly over a million eggs in her lifetime of usually 2 to 3 years. Drones are the males who's primary function is to mate with the queen and die soon thereafter. They have no stinger, collect no pollen and have no wax glands to help construct honeycombs within the hive and eat three times the amount of food as the workers--what a bunch of loafers! The workers, these are the backbone of the hive, are females who perform all labors. They build, clean and polish honeycomb cells, feed the young, care for the queen, guard the entrance, and abuse their thin, papery wings while air-conditioning and ventilating the hive.  During flower season, a hard charging female forager may visit 2,000 flowers a day and will buzz her wings 12,000 times a minute (that's 200 beats a second) to keep her pollen-laden body aloft!  And, she'll do hundreds of trips a day that cause wear and tear on her wings.

She will only make 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime which may only last 3 weeks. Once her wings begin to tatter and fray along the edges, she is a marked bee to be removed from the hive.  No mercy, sympathy or rewards in the colony for hard workers.

The short course on honeybees taught to me by my neighbor was fascinating.  He alluded that there's much, much more interesting bee trivia that scientists have learned and what he shared with me only scratched the surface.

Later, while returning home, I glanced at the beehive to notice more bees being exiled.  What a no nonsense, strictly business lifestyle.  And people in this pampered society think they have it rough!