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EVS 317 Beekeeping Exam Study Guide 2025 | Apiculture,
Honeybee Biology, Hive Management, and Sustainable
Pollination Practices
Prepare for the EVS 317 Beekeeping Exam (2025) with this comprehensive apiculture study
guide. Covers honeybee anatomy, colony management, diseases, honey production, and
environmental sustainability. Includes review questions, key terms, and practical exam insights
for students studying environmental and agricultural sciences.
• EVS 317 Beekeeping Exam 2025
• Beekeeping exam study guide
• Apiculture final exam questions
• Honeybee biology and behavior test
What is the sex of worker bees in the colony? - ANSWER-Female
Are workers haploid or diploid? - ANSWER-Diploid
Do workers have ovaries? Can they lay eggs? - ANSWER-Yes to both!
What are the various tasks of the worker bee, and at what age do they normally do them? - ANSWER-
Days 1-3 Housekeeping - cleans and polishes cells for other eggs and honey and pollen storage.
Days 3-16 undertaking removes dead bees from the hive.
Days 4-12 Nurse bees, feeding and caring for the developing larvae. They feed pollen , honey and royal
jelly produced from the hypopharyngeal gland in the worker bees head.
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Days 7-12 attending to the queen, they groom, feed, remove queen waste and coax the queen to lay
eggs.
Days 12-18 young worker bees take nectar from foraging bees and place it in cells. The act of exchanging
food between nest mates is called trophallaxis. They add an enzyme to the nectar and fan it to remove
the moisture and turn the nectar into honey. The pollen is also stored in cells as food for the brood as it
is mixed with honey to make bee bread.
Days 12-18 Fanning - The bees beat their wings or fan to create drafts to regulate the temperature of the
hive. They also fan to release a pheromone from their Nassanoff gland that acts as an orientation
message to returning foragers.
Days 12-35 Builders - they produce flakes of wax from the wax gland on the underside of the bees
abdomen. They help build new comb and in capping honey and cells.
Days 18-21 Guarding - guard the hive from strange bees or other pests wanting to steal honey or eat
bees.
Days 22-42 field bee - Takes orientation flights and begins the last task of the honey bees life. Foraging
for pollen, nectar, water, and propolis.
How long does a worker bee live? In the Summer? In the Winter? - ANSWER-6 weeks in Summer, 4-5
months in Winter
What are the four stages of honey bee development? How are they different? What is the purpose of
each stage? - ANSWER-The four stages are:
Egg - The egg is very small 1.7 mm long and 0.4 mm wide. The purpose is to hatch into a larva 3 days
after it is laid.
Larva or Larvae - Looks like a small grub curled up in the cell. The purpose is to eat and grow shedding its
skin 5 times. Eats royal jelly at first and then if it is to become a worker it is fed pollen and honey. After 5
days the cell is capped.
Pupa - The pupa spins a cocoon and develops into a bee. After 12 days the adult bee chews her way
through the wax capping to begin work as an adult.
16 days for a queen
21 days for a worker
24 days for a drone
What is haploid? - ANSWER-having a single set of unpaired chromosomes
EVS 317 Beekeeping Exam Study Guide 2025 | Apiculture,
Honeybee Biology, Hive Management, and Sustainable
Pollination Practices
Prepare for the EVS 317 Beekeeping Exam (2025) with this comprehensive apiculture study
guide. Covers honeybee anatomy, colony management, diseases, honey production, and
environmental sustainability. Includes review questions, key terms, and practical exam insights
for students studying environmental and agricultural sciences.
• EVS 317 Beekeeping Exam 2025
• Beekeeping exam study guide
• Apiculture final exam questions
• Honeybee biology and behavior test
What is the sex of worker bees in the colony? - ANSWER-Female
Are workers haploid or diploid? - ANSWER-Diploid
Do workers have ovaries? Can they lay eggs? - ANSWER-Yes to both!
What are the various tasks of the worker bee, and at what age do they normally do them? - ANSWER-
Days 1-3 Housekeeping - cleans and polishes cells for other eggs and honey and pollen storage.
Days 3-16 undertaking removes dead bees from the hive.
Days 4-12 Nurse bees, feeding and caring for the developing larvae. They feed pollen , honey and royal
jelly produced from the hypopharyngeal gland in the worker bees head.
, 2|Page
Days 7-12 attending to the queen, they groom, feed, remove queen waste and coax the queen to lay
eggs.
Days 12-18 young worker bees take nectar from foraging bees and place it in cells. The act of exchanging
food between nest mates is called trophallaxis. They add an enzyme to the nectar and fan it to remove
the moisture and turn the nectar into honey. The pollen is also stored in cells as food for the brood as it
is mixed with honey to make bee bread.
Days 12-18 Fanning - The bees beat their wings or fan to create drafts to regulate the temperature of the
hive. They also fan to release a pheromone from their Nassanoff gland that acts as an orientation
message to returning foragers.
Days 12-35 Builders - they produce flakes of wax from the wax gland on the underside of the bees
abdomen. They help build new comb and in capping honey and cells.
Days 18-21 Guarding - guard the hive from strange bees or other pests wanting to steal honey or eat
bees.
Days 22-42 field bee - Takes orientation flights and begins the last task of the honey bees life. Foraging
for pollen, nectar, water, and propolis.
How long does a worker bee live? In the Summer? In the Winter? - ANSWER-6 weeks in Summer, 4-5
months in Winter
What are the four stages of honey bee development? How are they different? What is the purpose of
each stage? - ANSWER-The four stages are:
Egg - The egg is very small 1.7 mm long and 0.4 mm wide. The purpose is to hatch into a larva 3 days
after it is laid.
Larva or Larvae - Looks like a small grub curled up in the cell. The purpose is to eat and grow shedding its
skin 5 times. Eats royal jelly at first and then if it is to become a worker it is fed pollen and honey. After 5
days the cell is capped.
Pupa - The pupa spins a cocoon and develops into a bee. After 12 days the adult bee chews her way
through the wax capping to begin work as an adult.
16 days for a queen
21 days for a worker
24 days for a drone
What is haploid? - ANSWER-having a single set of unpaired chromosomes
