How long do honey bees live ?

In a strong family, honey bee workers live a maximum of 30-35 days, in families with weak chances to live a long life they have less, here they do not live more than 25 days. Although in summer in the period of active honey gathering the worker can “stretch” up to 45 days, apparently, they really all the same as people do – work and awareness of their own need prolong life.

In addition, the life expectancy of bees depends on when they were born. New bees in the family – brood – appear several times a year, it is necessary for the constant replenishment of dead bees, and the length of life they have depends on when they were born.

Summer and autumn insects, which do not breed brood, can live up to 60 days. If in the autumn they have fed a lot of brood, until the spring such bees may not survive, the more they expended energy, the faster they die. The overwintered bees live 7-8 months, from summer or autumn to spring and the beginning of the honey collection, when they will again be useful for the family.

Spring bees live 35-30 days, summer – about 30 days, autumn must survive the winter, warm up the uterus and each other, save the family, and in the spring proceed to honey collection. Autumn bees do not have to work much, because the season of honey collection has already come to an end. They rest, eat well the products stored for the family from the summer, and leave for the winter with strong, full and healthy.