S.S.P.A.

LAW & ARBITATION  OFFICE

S.S.P.A.

DOCTOR

BEES KINGDOM

Honey Bees are Social Insects, living in a highly organized Colonies, each member has a specific role and job to do, a single Bee cannot survive alone, since they are social insects, all have different roles but work together in an organized way to reach their goals, there are 3 distinct types of Honey Bees in a Colony which are the Queen, workers and drones.

It is true about Honey Bees, they are highly organized, industrious and intelligent, all summer they work hard in order to gather enough food that will be sufficient for them to survive in winter, they are clean and they arrange their life around one central member of the Hive, which is the Queen, every Hive consists of one and only one Queen who produce the Eggs, many thousands of workers which are the female Bees and a few hundred drones, which are the male Bees. The Nurse Bees are important members of the Hive; they feed developing Larvae with a mixture of honey, pollen and glandular secretion which is called Bee Bread. There is also a richer food known as "Royal Jelly" and it is made from special gland in the Nurse Bee's head, if "Royal Jelly" is fed to a Larva the Larva will develop into a Queen, this usually happens if something happens to the old Queen.

The Queen lays more than 1500 Eggs per day, it starts in the beginning of spring, a good Queen doesn't waste any space, she lays one Egg in every Cell, and sometimes it happens to see several Eggs per Cell which is a sign of a problem.

The Queen lives for about 5 years, and after 2 years it lays less and less Eggs increasingly while aging , many Beekeepers keep the Queen for longer time, others replace it every year in order to keep the Colony strong and more productive.

The workers gather, make and store Honey, build the Cells, clean, ventilate by fanning their wings, regulate the Hive temperature to 26°C, protect the Hive; they also feed and care for the Queen. They communicate with each others, for example about the location of the flowers, by performing dances in specific pattern.

A Queen and her daughters use wax from the wax gland on their abdomens to build a nest that lasts them for generations, if the Hive become over crowded the Nurse Bees will raise another Queen by feeding the Larva with Royal Jelly, the upcoming Queen stings all its sisters in order to survive alone and become the Queen, while the old Queen leave the Hive with half of its workers in order to build another Hive.

There are several types of  Bees such as Carpenters, Plaster Bees, Leaf Cutter   Bees, Carder Bees and Mason Bees, Carpenter Bees build holes in unpainted and unfinished woods, Plasters Bees dig holes and tunnels   attaching them with a plaster like glandular secretion, Leaf Cutter Bees use their mouth parts to cut pieces of leaves which they use to lime their nests, Carder Bees collect the furry or woolly parts of plants to line their nests, Mason Bees which are in the same family as Leaf Cutter Bees use their Saliva and secretions from their Maxillary glands to glue sand and pebbles together.

As a matter of fact, Bees are of many different types and kinds, their roles are also different but they all work in order to reach a common goal, moreover they work in their Hive peacefully and to fulfill their job, but if any Intruder tries to interfere in their society they will become aggressive towards this foreign body.

"In Medieval and Elizabethton times, Bees were regarded as Mysterious, Intelligent and Holy , their wax was used in Churches as candles , Honey was Biblical image of God's Grace, and the joys of Heaven, Poets also praised  the Hive as a model for the Perfect Society :

Little Bird of Paradise,

She works her work both neat and nice,

 She pleases God, she pleases Man,

She does the work that no Man can."

---------------

Ships of the Desert

            In fact, when we talk about camels we always refer to those strong animals of the desert that have the ability to survive in harsh situations. It is well known about the ability of camels to spend several days without food and water, but we are ignorant about other amazing and interesting information about these animals.

            Camels are of two types, the Bactrian, also known as the Asian camel that has two humps. The other type is the Dromedary or the Arabian camel that has one hump. Perhaps those two types of camels differ in body shape but not in biological structure.

            Camels, in general, have many unique characteristics that no other creatures have.

            Camels are considered to be mature when they reach the age of 5 years old. An adult camel is about 2.15m tall from feet to hump. It also weighs about 700kg. It is true that camels have tall and thin legs, but those long, thin legs have powerful muscles which allow the camel to carry heavy loads over long distances. It can carry about 450kg of loads and covers around 40km per day. Camels usually work hard for 6 to 8 months of the year and they rest in the remaining time.

            Camels' ears are small, but its hearing is acute. Its ears are lined with furs as a filter for the sand and the dust of the desert. Its eyes are large, they are protected by a double row of eye lashes that also help to keep out sand and dust. In addition to the thick eyebrows that protect the eyes from the strong desert sun.

            Moreover, camels have broad, flat, leathery pads with two toes on each foot. When the camel places its foot on the ground, the pads spread in order to prevent the foot from sinking into the sand, while these pads can also make camels travel long distances without being affected by the hot sand. When waking, the camel moves both feet on one side of its body then both feet on the other side, similar to the rolling motion of a boat, that's what made the camels called "Ships of the Desert."

            The camel has a large mouth with 34 teeth. They enable the animal to eat rough bushes; also it can be used as a weapon against predators when needed. It also swallows food without chewing it first, then regurgitating the undigested food and chewing it in cud form. When a camel twitches its nose, it is cooling the incoming air and condensing moisture from its outgoing breath. The camel has a unique body thermostat. It can increase its body temperature by 60°C in order to conserve body fluids and avoid unnecessary water loss.

            In fact, camels do not store food or water in their humps, as many believe, but the fact is that a mound of fatty tissue from which the animal draws energy when food is hard to find. When camel uses its hump fat for energy, the hump shrinks and becomes flabby, and if it draws too much fat, the remaining hump will flop from its upright position. With food and several days of rest will return the hump to its normal, regular condition. This makes camels stay 5 to 7 days without food and water.

            By autumn, camels grow new coat that is used as a protection from cold. Moreover, camel's hair is considered to be used and sold worldwide to produce high-quality coats, garments and artists' brushes, as well as being used to make tents.

            More and more about its benefits, camels are also raised for its meat and its milk. The best camel meat comes from young male camels, while the milk comes from female camels. Camels' milk is much more nutritious than that of a cow. It is lower in fat and lactose and higher in potassium, iron and Vitamin C and it is normally drunk fresh.

            Camels have the reputation of being bad-tempered and obstinate creatures that spit and kick. In reality, they are good-tempered, patient and intelligent. The moaning and bawling sound they make when they are loaded and have to rise is like the grunting and heavy breathing of a weight lifter in action, not a sign of displeasure at having to do work. Those animals of the desert are very strong and capable of resisting and surviving in extremely severe and harsh situations and circumstances that no other creature can.

R.RAFEH