Bees, truly amazing animals. We already knew this but the Tetragonula carbonaria is even more special. A real architect since he is able to build spiral hives
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himBees, truly amazing animals. We already knew this but the Tetragonula carbonaria is even more special. A real architect as he is able to build spiral hives.
Also known as "sugarbag", tetragonula carbonaria is a stingless bee, endemic to the northeastern coast of Australia. The bee is known to pollinate orchid species such as Dendrobium lichenastrum, D. toressae and D. Speciosum. Compared to its peers, it is slightly smaller and has a highly developed social structure comparable to honey bees.
But the real peculiarity of the Tetragonula carbonaria is the way in which it builds its nest. It is about spiral hives single-layer completely different from flat ones. They have only one entrance and are coated with a sticky layer that helps trap pathogens to prevent them from entering. An ingenious defense system as these bees do not sting but bite and inject an irritating formic acid.
These suggestive hives they have an elongated shape vertically and with a regular orientation clockwise. They are built with brown wax and are home to eggs and larvae. These are flat constructions that gradually rise. In these complex hives, individual cells must be built at different heights to keep the structure moving.
Entomologist and former CSIRO researcher Tim Heard observed these bees for 30 years and found that
"They are highly social insects, with a queen and thousands of workers living together in a protected place, which, in nature, is usually in a hollow tree."
“What a #intelligence! ?” a species that you will be surprised to say: #Bees? In the pictures, completely #natural #honeycomb shapes made by bees with Australian origin “#sugarbag #bees” (#scientific name, #Trigona #carbonaria). (#honey #hives)
Un post condiviso da Zeka Station by @gokler (@zekaistasyon) in data: Feb 3, 2018 at 12:37 PST
Once the hive is ready, the queen will deposit the eggs in the cells, five minutes later the worker bees will return to seal them.
"The cell is almost completely full of food and only then will the queen accept it for spawning", says Heard.
READ also:
- How (and why) to host solitary bees in your garden?
- This is how bees see?
Animals that will never cease to amaze us.
Francesca Mancuso
Photo: Tim Heard
