Grade 10 Agriculture – Beekeeping Quiz

The queen’s primary job is to lay eggs to maintain the population and to produce chemical signals (pheromones) that help regulate behaviour and cohesion in the colony.

Worker bees are sterile females responsible for all the colony tasks such as foraging, nursing brood, cleaning, and making wax.

Drones are male bees whose primary role is to mate with virgin queens; they do not forage or perform typical hive work.

The Kenya top-bar hive is a horizontal hive where bees build comb hanging from removable top bars, popular in Kenya for low-cost and easy inspection.

Smoke interferes with alarm pheromones and prompts bees to eat honey, which makes them less likely to sting and easier to inspect; it does not put them to sleep.

In much of Kenya the long rains occur from March to May, which often coincide with abundant flowering and the main honey flow.

Swarming is the natural process of colony reproduction where the old queen and many workers leave to establish a new colony, while a new queen continues in the original hive.

Giving the colony enough space, inspecting regularly for queen cells and replacing old queens can reduce the swarm impulse; starving bees or not inspecting are harmful practices.

Calmly leaving prevents provoking more stings; manage aggressive colonies later with proper protection or by an experienced beekeeper rather than destroying or disturbing them.

Eucalyptus is widely used in Kenya as a nectar source and shade for hives. Pineapple and cassava provide limited nectar; maize is wind-pollinated and not a major nectar source.

Wax moth larvae create silky webbing and tunnels in combs and leave powdery waste; this is typical in weak or stored combs and indicates infestation.

Feeding sugar syrup is a safe way to give calories during dearths; using honey from unknown hives risks disease spread, and salt is harmful.

American foulbrood is bacterial and affects brood; signs include sunken or perforated brood cappings, ropy larvae residue and a distinctive foul smell.

Pure honey commonly crystallises (granulates) over time due to natural sugars; while not a definitive test, many adulterated honeys stay syrupy and resist crystallisation.

Protective clothing such as a veil or bee suit, gloves and closed shoes reduce sting risk and are essential for safe hive work.

Good records help a beekeeper monitor colony performance, spot disease trends, plan feeding, and manage harvests—important for improving production.

A queen excluder blocks the larger queen and drones from entering honey supers, helping ensure the honey frames do not contain brood.

Hives do well where they get morning sun to warm the bees, protection from strong winds, and access to water. Deep shade or exposed windy places are unsuitable.

Top-bar hive comb is often cut out and the honey is crushed and strained for smallholders; centrifuge extractors are used mainly with framed hives.

Moving hives at night when most bees are home reduces loss of foragers and helps the colony settle at the new site; abrupt daytime moves risk losing bees.

Beeswax is the material used for candles, cosmetics, and polishes. Propolis and royal jelly have other uses, and bee venom is used in specialised products.

Bees pollinate flowers, which increases fruit set and yields for many crops such as mango, citrus and vegetables—an important benefit beyond honey.

Sealing and applying heat or freezing kills wax moth stages and prevents infestation in stored comb; spraying insecticide risks contaminating honey and wax.

To protect bees, avoid spraying during bloom and choose times when bees are not active (evening/night), and follow label recommendations—never treat hives with agricultural pesticides.

Worker bees typically develop from egg to adult in about 21 days under normal conditions; drones and queens have different times.

Honest marketing—clean packaging, correct weights, clear labelling and demonstrating basic quality—builds customer trust and is the ethical way to sell honey.

A healthy colony shows active foraging, brood at egg/larva/pupa stages indicating continuous reproduction, and sufficient food stores.

Introducing a queen in a cage allows workers to get used to her pheromones and reduces the chance they will kill her; sudden introduction often fails.