Honey Bees Exam 1 Questions and
Answers.
What was Lorenzo Langstroth's great insight about honey bee nest construction that allowed
him to design a working hive that had movable frames? - Answer Bees observe a strict "bee
space" between combs, and if the hive is built to keep frames separated by this "bee space"
distance, the bees will build on wooden frames but won't create extra wax comb that prevents
manipulation.
Humans have been harvesting honey from honey bees for at least 8,000 years, and possibly for
longer than that. How are "honey hunting" and "beekeeping" different? - Answer Honey
hunting relies on wild/feral colonies of honey bees located in trees or natural rock formations,
while beekeeping involves semi-domesticated honey bees kept in man-made hive structures.
What is the "bee space"? - Answer The space (9.53 mm or 3/8") in a hive or bee nest through
which bees can easily pass, but that is not so large that they will fill it with wax comb or
propolis.
Which of the following are reasons why honey bee skeps were phased out of practice? - Answer
The beekeepers were unable to inspect for pests or diseases, The colony had to be killed every
season in order to remove the comb for honey
What is the earliest evidence we have about the practice of honey hunting by humans? -
Answer ~8,000 BCE
What is the earliest evidence that we have about the practice of keeping bees by humans
(=beekeeping)?
Correct! - Answer ~3,500 BCE
Bees originated from wasps that abandoned depredation on other insects and adapted to
collect nectar and pollen - Answer This is likely true
Why is the Western honey bee Apis mellifera found on all continents (except for the poles)
while the other honey bee species have a much narrower range? - Answer Apis mellifera is a
native species only in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Europeans spread them further when
colonizing the Americas, Australia, and parts of Asia.
What is the complete, proper scientific name of the Western honey bee? - Answer Apis
mellifera L.
, In which insect order are honeybees placed? - Answer Hymenoptera
Which of the following is a major difference between Apis mellifera and Apis cerana? - Answer
A. cerana is well adapted to its native ecosystem, carrying adaptations to resist two major
enemies of A. mellifera: Nosema cerana and Varroa destructor
A major difference between Apis florea and Apis mellifera is: - Answer The "dance language",
because A. florea executes the waggle dance on a part of the comb that is horizontal (flat), not
vertical as in A. mellifera
What is one of the important reasons why Apis dorsata is not kept by beekeepers in India? -
Answer Because this honeybee species nests in the open, thus it cannot be kept in a box,
which considerably limits its use as a domesticated species.
How did the ancient Maya of Mesoamerica use honey bees (Apis mellifera)? - Answer The
ancient Maya did not use honey bees, but tame and stingless bees (Melipona species). They had
large apiaries with 1,000+ colonies in hollowed-out logs. They used these bees mostly for their
honey.
What is the key difference between simple hairs and branched hairs in insects? - Answer
Simple hairs have a single shaft from bottom to top, while branched hairs split into multiple tips
from a single base shaft.
What are honey badgers? - Answer a fearless and ferocious mammal that is successful in
Africa
Why are "killer" honey bees problematic in Texas (USA) - Answer they can be provoked into
attack mode by vibration and noise created in the vicinity of their nest, they are more agressive
than other types of honey bees, they tend to establish their nest close to human dwellings
Can you escape "killer bees" attacks by just stepping away from the nest? - Answer unlikely,
as the worker bees can follow you for up to 1/2 a mile!
Are all "killer bees" found on the American continent behaving the same way? - Answer No,
the ones found in Puerto Rico are rather tame
Why do the tropical honey bees found in Africa tend to swarm and abscond more than the
temperate honey bees found in Europe? - Answer Bees evolving in the tropics face regular
dry periods with little plant nectar available, as well as intense depredation, so they must
relocate frequently to find food sources.
Answers.
What was Lorenzo Langstroth's great insight about honey bee nest construction that allowed
him to design a working hive that had movable frames? - Answer Bees observe a strict "bee
space" between combs, and if the hive is built to keep frames separated by this "bee space"
distance, the bees will build on wooden frames but won't create extra wax comb that prevents
manipulation.
Humans have been harvesting honey from honey bees for at least 8,000 years, and possibly for
longer than that. How are "honey hunting" and "beekeeping" different? - Answer Honey
hunting relies on wild/feral colonies of honey bees located in trees or natural rock formations,
while beekeeping involves semi-domesticated honey bees kept in man-made hive structures.
What is the "bee space"? - Answer The space (9.53 mm or 3/8") in a hive or bee nest through
which bees can easily pass, but that is not so large that they will fill it with wax comb or
propolis.
Which of the following are reasons why honey bee skeps were phased out of practice? - Answer
The beekeepers were unable to inspect for pests or diseases, The colony had to be killed every
season in order to remove the comb for honey
What is the earliest evidence we have about the practice of honey hunting by humans? -
Answer ~8,000 BCE
What is the earliest evidence that we have about the practice of keeping bees by humans
(=beekeeping)?
Correct! - Answer ~3,500 BCE
Bees originated from wasps that abandoned depredation on other insects and adapted to
collect nectar and pollen - Answer This is likely true
Why is the Western honey bee Apis mellifera found on all continents (except for the poles)
while the other honey bee species have a much narrower range? - Answer Apis mellifera is a
native species only in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Europeans spread them further when
colonizing the Americas, Australia, and parts of Asia.
What is the complete, proper scientific name of the Western honey bee? - Answer Apis
mellifera L.
, In which insect order are honeybees placed? - Answer Hymenoptera
Which of the following is a major difference between Apis mellifera and Apis cerana? - Answer
A. cerana is well adapted to its native ecosystem, carrying adaptations to resist two major
enemies of A. mellifera: Nosema cerana and Varroa destructor
A major difference between Apis florea and Apis mellifera is: - Answer The "dance language",
because A. florea executes the waggle dance on a part of the comb that is horizontal (flat), not
vertical as in A. mellifera
What is one of the important reasons why Apis dorsata is not kept by beekeepers in India? -
Answer Because this honeybee species nests in the open, thus it cannot be kept in a box,
which considerably limits its use as a domesticated species.
How did the ancient Maya of Mesoamerica use honey bees (Apis mellifera)? - Answer The
ancient Maya did not use honey bees, but tame and stingless bees (Melipona species). They had
large apiaries with 1,000+ colonies in hollowed-out logs. They used these bees mostly for their
honey.
What is the key difference between simple hairs and branched hairs in insects? - Answer
Simple hairs have a single shaft from bottom to top, while branched hairs split into multiple tips
from a single base shaft.
What are honey badgers? - Answer a fearless and ferocious mammal that is successful in
Africa
Why are "killer" honey bees problematic in Texas (USA) - Answer they can be provoked into
attack mode by vibration and noise created in the vicinity of their nest, they are more agressive
than other types of honey bees, they tend to establish their nest close to human dwellings
Can you escape "killer bees" attacks by just stepping away from the nest? - Answer unlikely,
as the worker bees can follow you for up to 1/2 a mile!
Are all "killer bees" found on the American continent behaving the same way? - Answer No,
the ones found in Puerto Rico are rather tame
Why do the tropical honey bees found in Africa tend to swarm and abscond more than the
temperate honey bees found in Europe? - Answer Bees evolving in the tropics face regular
dry periods with little plant nectar available, as well as intense depredation, so they must
relocate frequently to find food sources.
