Guard bee
A worker stationed at the entrance, checking the identity of every bee that enters.
Bees
Definition
Guards take up position at around eighteen to twenty-one days old, when the venom sac is full and before foraging wears them out. They check arriving bees by scent, admitting nestmates and challenging intruders. Guarding intensity rises sharply during a dearth, when robbing is a real threat.
Honey records that discuss this
See also
Other bees terms
Sources
Sources
- The Biology of the Honey Bee — Harvard University Press (1987) · Textbook
- The Lives of Bees: The Untold Story of the Honey Bee in the Wild — Princeton University Press (2019) · Monograph
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