(a) In each colony of honey bee, there are three castes-
(i) One queen, which is a functional female produced from fertilized egg and can lay upto 15000 eggs per day.
(ii) 10,000 to 20,000 workers (sterile females) which have underdeveloped reproductive organs, and
(iii) few hundred drones (males). They only mate with the queen.
(b) The honey bees have a well organized system of division of labour, i.e., each caste performs specific functions. Queen lays eggs, drones (males) mate with the queen and the sterile female workers perform variety of functions such as collection of nector, construction of nest, its cleaning, guarding etc.
(c ) Farmers keep honey bee hives in the fields during flowering season to enhance pollination of flowers to increase crop yield.
