Bees - Living for the Queen - Go Wild

these bees are part of a perfect society individuals show selfless dedication to each other and through their communal hard work the colony matters wealth in the form of nectar and pollen such a concentration of riches attracts unwelcome visitors [Music] guard bees quickly attack the intruder the wasp is large and dangerous but no bee considers its own safety as they sting and bite they only have one concern the defense of the colony [Music] so [Music] paralyzed and mortally wounded the would-be robber is unceremoniously dumped [Music] the community functions with relentless precision everything serves a single purpose the survival of the colony [Music] the life of the queen is dedicated to producing further generations of workers and each generation of workers labors for the queen [Music] [Music] nectar life-giving fuel for bees in its lifetime each worker will fly thousands of hours to gather this precious liquid yet as soon as they return to the hive the selfless workers share the fresh nectar with their fellow bees [Music] the nectar is concentrated and stored in special cells where it ripens into honey even industrious bees work only by day but whilst the colony rests the scent of honey is carried on the night air and some creatures will go to great lengths to steal the colony's wealth [Music] this is the death's head hawkmoth in the spring it flies from north africa carried across the mediterranean by the hot winds from the sahara its sinister name comes from the shape of the skull emblazoned on its back [Music] the moths limbs are stiff from the cold night air by shivering it warms its body up before taking to the air the moth is risking its life on a dangerous mission what is perfect for it wears the cloak of invisibility the moth has acquired the special scent of this beehive and despite its size passes as a member of the colony the moth has a further deception it utters sounds that would normally come only from a queen bee [Music] with these disguises the moth can attack the honey cells unchallenged the hive bees notice the loss of honey but not the rubber in their midst they try to rescue the sweet liquid the death's head hawk moth sucks four or five honey cells dry and then makes his way to the entrance for his camouflage is beginning to wear [Music] the honeybee colony seems a strange world chaotic and inscrutable but only at first glance in this society every member has a specific task and everything has its place pollen and honey are kept in rows of storage cells whilst nearby the new generation grow in the brood cells [Music] [Music] [Music] the brood cells for the next generation of worker bees are kept at a respectful distance from the larger cells where the bees are their future queens [Music] it is the subjects who decide whether an individual will be a worker or queen bee as eggs all bees are equal but by feeding this grub with royal jelly the workers ensure she will turn into a queen the old queen's reign is coming to an end and the workers prevent her from laying more eggs it is a rare moment of social discord and time for the aged queen to lee [Music] all who can fly go with her the old queen leaves the hive with her following the swarm [Music] but her strength soon flags not far away from the hive she lands to rest and the swarming bees blindly follow her scent all the bees collect around the queen to protect her and to keep her at the right temperature the bees consume a great deal of energy and swarming what food they had in their stomachs is quickly used up they must gather more nectar [Music] any food not used by the foraging bee is shared time is short the site for a new hive must be found quickly the scouts investigate the hollow trunk of a fruit tree the swarming bee situation calls for a quick decision many swarms die because they can't agree on a site [Music] this time the bees don't hesitate and immediately take possession of the fruit tree [Music] the first job for the workers is to air their new home to get rid of the musty smell then the bees spread ascent from a gland on their abdomen this makes the new address official and allows us stragglers to find the new home the bees form living chains inside their new site by this extraordinary means the bees measure up the cavity for the construction work which must begin immediately [Music] back at the hive the old queen's last eggs are now hatching the worker bees that remained provide a constant supply of food [Music] a scout brings a sample of nectar from a newly discovered source her dance indicates how rich the supply of food is [Music] but the tail wagging dance tells the other bees much more the direction of the source and the distance of the flowers from the high [Music] [Applause] [Music] me [Music] the worker uses a small part of the sweet nectar she gathers to fuel her own activity [Music] most of it she keeps for the communal store [Music] [Applause] the workload of these social insects is incredible on average it takes the nectar from 10 million flowers for every liter of honey [Music] [Applause] [Music] the combined efforts of the members of the colony add up to over 10 000 hours of flying and 60 000 kilometers of travel for one liter of the precious honey when they reach the hive the nectar gatherers don't rest from their labors they quickly pass on the nectar to the hive bees before flying out once more [Music] the workers fill the nectar into the honey cells later the nectar is processed in the bees bodies to produce honey and finally the cell is sealed with a wax lid [Music] for the bees honey is crucial mixed with pollen it's also food for the next generation of bees after pupating they emerge as adults from beneath the wax covers of their cells [Music] [Music] unlike the cells of the workers those are the male bees the drones have domed covers without these they wouldn't be large enough to hold the male's bulky bodies [Music] midwives are at the ready everywhere in the drone section of the hive [Music] worker bee has to fight her way out of the brood cell unaided [Music] but the drones receive special care they are helped out of the cell and are immediately fed [Music] there's a reason for this special treatment in an otherwise society of equals the drones are urgently needed [Music] their large compound eyes tell of their sole purpose in life they mustn't lose sight of the queen on the mating flight [Music] [Music] under the gaze of the owl a mouse seeks refuge in the hive the mouse is fortunate for it escapes attack from owl and bees it's not after honey but warmth and safety which it finds in the lower story of the hive [Music] wisely it doesn't venture higher up into the world of bees satisfied with the fallen debris of wax from the cells the mouse settles into its new luxurious home for the bees provide not only food but also air conditioning they keep the temperature constant for their precious next generation [Music] as the days lengthen the blossom of the apple trees falls [Music] but dandelions provide a new and plentiful source of nectar [Applause] [Music] so [Music] the nectar is deep within the flower and the bee can only reach it by thrusting its body and long tongue into the sea of petals [Music] as she gathers nectar pollen collects on the small hairs of her body [Music] to carry the pollen safely the bee stows it in sacks on her hind legs a worker bee can carry half of her own body weight in pollen and nectar and still be able to fly though takeoff can be a bit tricky [Music] [Applause] [Music] when dandelions are in bloom all the bees must work harder even at the hive in a bewildering world of activity nectar and pollen are delivered and passed on from b to b whilst bees at the entrance found a stream of scent to guide the workers home [Music] the pollen is stored in special cells later mixed with honey it will become food for the young so the pollen storage cells stand out from the honey cells by their dark color [Music] the bees work feverishly for not only is the time for harvesting short but unpredictable events can force the bees to stop work all those who can return quickly to the high those that remain in the fields face the full force of the rain [Music] [Music] the foraging bees are forced to seek shelter from the downpour the rain poses a real threat to the bees they can become so chilled by the water that their muscles no longer function efficiently they are grounded unable to fly back at the hive the guard bees are numbed by the cold the mouse uses this moment to satisfy its curiosity without the risk of being stuck a cluster of sudden motionless bees hang outside the entrance too many foraging bees try to find shelter in the hive at the same time [Music] but the mouse needs to be careful once the bees dry out their reaction can be very different [Music] the mouse is not a real threat to the society of bees but the bee eater is it is a fast and acrobatic hunter with immunity to bee stings [Music] with a brood of hungry chicks in the nest tunnel the bee eaters face a constant demand for food [Music] so [Music] a single bird can kill 500 bees a day a whole group of nesting beaters is a serious threat to the colony of bees [Music] [Music] the best the bees can do is become an irritation the bee eater's thick layer of feathers thwarts the single bee's attack [Music] meanwhile there is a bustle of activity in the royal apartments now 16 days since the old queen laid her last eggs a new queen emerges [Music] she stakes her claim to be ruler with a piping call [Music] that is not enough to decide the succession to the throne so she's armed she will have to fight for her claim using her sting her first rival is stunned to death through the wall of the royal cell before she can be born [Music] another queen frees herself from herself [Music] the firstborn queen must now act quickly if she wants to remain in power the rival must take up the challenge and gives an aggressive call [Music] this is the battle for the colony begins [Music] each queen in waiting tries to sting her rival to death striking as close as possible to the sensitive abdomen [Music] but most unusually the battle ends in a draw the stalemate has dramatic consequences the colony decides to divide once again a rare and risky undertaking [Music] the departing swarm is on a suicide mission but the newborn queen is a virgin and cannot guarantee the colony's continued existence the worker bees though have no choice they are programmed to follow the queen to stay with her scent a hasty unplanned flight from the hive can lead to strange consequences for scout bees have had no opportunity to find a suitable home together with a young queen the bees seek a resting place even if it's not an ideal one [Music] so [Music] a lighting on a live overhead tram wire is dangerous only for the bees passersby have little cause for alarm swarming bees have no possessions to defend and so seldom sting [Music] the fire brigade come to the rescue it's the bewildered bees that require their help and the firemen have brought expert support but it's not clear how the two beekeepers from the fire brigade can get the obstinate bee colony under control as one would expect firemen to do they turn their hoses on the bees the cold water has the effect of calming the bees temporarily at first the bee seemed to tolerate being shaken into the box but then the queen begins to revolt she has been protected from the effects of the cold spray by a layer of her loyal workers the swarm with the queen in its midst rises from the box and continues its journey to a new and unknown destination whilst the scouts search for a suitable site for the hive the swarm forms a temporary cluster for warmth and protection [Music] the old queens colony has no such problems their joint efforts have turned the hollow fruit tree into a hive sell upon sell and row upon row the comb is built though a high price has to be paid for the building material one kilogram of beeswax represents the energy from seven kilograms of finest honey [Music] there is a reason for the frenetic construction activity the more cells there are the more bees will be born these future workers will ensure the survival of the colony in the fruit tree back in the first hive the concern is the same whether the next generation will have a future but here it is a matter for the queen the virgin queen must set off on her first mating flight it is a journey full of uncertainty for she must join the gathering of the drones at exactly the right moment [Music] when the queen appears she's immediately surrounded by the drones who will follow her unique scent [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] the reason for his existence consummated the drone dies whilst mating the queen flies back to the hive immediately the worker beast recognized by a sign on her body that her flight was successful she'll make a few more mating flights in the coming days [Music] and then have enough sperm in her body to fertilize eggs for the rest of her life the sperm remains viable for up to six years the queen can begin laying eggs and the colony's future is now more secure nearby hornets are also rearing their young with hungry hornet grubs to feed attacks against the bees suddenly increase in intensity [Music] [Laughter] [Music] the bees counter attack even though a single bee has no chance against a hornet the hornet's goal is the large flight muscles but in the struggle the bee often loses her head [Music] [Music] the hornets are nightmare neighbors they will remain a constant menace to the bee colony for the rest of the summer but the bees have nothing to fear from this visitor the beekeeper only wants to pay his respects to the new queen [Music] but he comes with an ulterior motive a mated queen is a great value to the beekeeper such prized property must be marked to confirm ownership after the detour into the town the roaming swarm has finally found a suitable home the root of an old tree [Music] now that they've settled in the wood the bees search out honeydew a sticky liquid containing a great deal of sugar they'll turn it into valuable woodland honey [Music] the honeydew comes from aphids it is prized by many insects and especially wood ants [Music] the aphids tap the vessels of the trees to obtain sugary sap the honeydew is eagerly awaited and the wood ants massage the aphids with their antennae to stimulate production the ants act as shepherds tending their flocks [Music] an antlion approaches the wood ants flocks [Music] the would-be poacher meets a stern resistance from the rightful owners [Music] [Music] the bear is known for its sweet tooth and a beehive is irresistible so [Music] to him honey is at best a side dish his real goal is the protein-rich grubs [Music] [Music] the bees desperately defend their brood and their new hive [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] the plunderers are already approaching [Music] one bee tries to rescue some honey she's driven away by the ants [Music] uh the bees in the home hive have been spared such tragic accidents the summer heat can cause a temperature in the hive to rise the workers are kept busy bringing in cooling water [Music] the heat cannot be allowed to deflect the young queen from her purpose for every day she must lay thousands of her eggs in the brood cells uh [Music] huh [Music] [Music] the queen enforces her reproductive monopoly by chemistry her royal scent prevents the female workers from laying eggs themselves [Music] after a few days the eggs will hatch into larvae the grubs grow bathed in a special food brought to them by the nurse bees later they will pupate and emerge as a new generation of adult bees to ensure the continued life of the colony during the coming winter months [Music] [Music] winter is the hardest time for bees they have only the honey stores set aside in the summer all the bees must work for the survival of the colony idlers are not tolerated the drones only function was to fertilize the queens their job done they are no longer needed the drones are driven out of the hive to certain death there is one more disturbance of the bee's ordered existence the hive is examined by the beekeeper it is time for him to take his share of the food reserves the honey it can be seen as rent for the hive and its management but the rent is moderate for the beekeeper wants this most perfect of societies to survive the winter next year a new generation of selfless workers will take to the air to pollinate the flowers and gather the nectar to feed their fellow bees and to bring us the sweet taste of honey [Music] you

Channel: Go Wild

Views: 250,199

Keywords: orf universum, documentary, blue chip, natural history, secrets of nature, planet earth, wildlife, free documentary, watch full documentary, nature films, wildlife films

Id: 4KHoLwYmXFs

Length: 48min 54sec (2934 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 21 2022