Passing the Nectar

The Relay Race Begins

The forager bee flies back home. She carries a full belly of sweet nectar. She cannot keep this sweet liquid. She must share it with her family.

Think of a fast relay race. A runner passes a stick to a teammate. The bee does the exact same thing. She passes the nectar to other bees.

These helper bees wait near the hive door. We call them receiver bees. They take the nectar from the tired foragers 1. This teamwork helps the whole hive survive. The hive needs food for the winter. Every single bee does her part.

Sharing Mouth to Mouth

How do bees pass the sweet liquid? They do not have hands. They must use their mouths.

The forager bee opens her mouth wide. She brings up a tiny drop of nectar. A receiver bee stretches out her long tongue.

The receiver bee drinks the sweet drop. This looks like a tiny bee kiss. Scientists have a special word for this action.

In plain terms: bees share food and send messages by passing liquid from mouth to mouth.

This sharing connects the whole bee family. It makes them a very strong team 3. The bees talk to each other this way. They share tastes and smells. They share important hive news.

Steps for Passing Nectar

Bees follow a clear pattern to share food. They do this many times a day. They repeat the steps over and over.

This process happens very fast. The bees do not waste any time. They have a lot of work to do! The baby bees need food. The queen bee needs food.

Spreading the Sweet Nectar

A forager bee holds a lot of nectar. She does not give it all to one friend. She shares it with many different receivers 1.

Imagine you have a big jug of water. You pour a little bit into many small cups. The forager bee does this exact thing.

She gives a little drop to one bee. Then she finds another bee. She gives a drop to that bee too. She empties her belly slowly.

This helps the hive work faster. Many bees can help store the food at once. The forager bee can go back outside. She can find more flowers. She can bring back more nectar.

Why Share With Many Bees?

You might wonder about this sharing. Why not give all the nectar to one bee? That would be much simpler.

Bees are very smart insects. Sharing with many bees spreads the work around. It is like a big team project.

One receiver bee only takes a small drop. She can carry this drop easily. She does not get too heavy.

The forager bee touches many different bees this way 1. She spreads the flower taste to the whole group. Every bee learns about the new food.

A Busy Bee Network

A bee hive holds many busy workers. One science study looked at groups of 800 worker bees 4. These bees share nectar all day long. They never seem to stop.

This sharing builds a big social network. The nectar shares news about the outside flowers. It acts like a sweet text message. The bees learn the best flower spots.

Older bees do different jobs than younger bees 5. The older bees fly outside to find flowers. The younger bees stay inside. They receive the nectar. They work together perfectly.

Soon, these inside bees will change the nectar. They will add special juices to it. You will learn about adding enzymes next! Then they will put the food into the honeycomb cells. The nectar will finally become thick honey.

Key Terms

• Trophallaxis 2 — The way bees share food and send messages by passing liquid from mouth to mouth.
• Receiver bee 1 — A younger bee that waits inside the hive to take nectar from returning foragers.
• Forager bee 1 — An older bee that flies outside to find flowers and bring back nectar.