Speed of Work
Honeybees visit up to about 40 flowers per minute depending on floral type, nectar availability and weather conditions. Floral visitation rate by honeybees of some important crops:
| Flower | Seconds per visit |
|---|---|
| Apricot | 10 |
| Apple | 68 |
| Cherry | 82 |
| Raspberry | 116 |
| Black currant | 134 |
The longer the time period, the greater the nectar availability. It takes twice as much time to collect a load of nectar compared with a load of pollen. A bee will visit 100–1000 flowers per trip from the hive.
There is general agreement that a single bee will do an average of 10 trips per day (range 7–13). Large single loads of nectar may weigh 70 mg for Italian bees. Sometimes a hive may gain 4–10 kg in a single day. For a 5 kg (11 pounds) gain this means:
In two days a strong hive with more than 20,000 foragers may fill a honey super. This is for nectar, ripe honey has its water fraction reduced significantly.
Read more about this topic: Honey Flow
Famous quotes containing the words speed of, speed and/or work:
“No speed of wind or water rushing by
But you have speed far greater.”
—Robert Frost (1874–1963)
“Spig Wead: I’ve been thinking what a heel I’ve been about you and about my own kids. I don’t know, when I do something, I go all the way. Living. Gambling. Flying. I tap myself out. I guess that’s the way I want it to be. Maybe even the way I am.
Minne Wead: Star-spangled Spig. Damn the martinis, full speed ahead and don’t give up the ship.”
—Frank Fenton, William Wister Haines, co-scenarist, and John Ford. Spig Wead (John Wayne)
“Every work of art changes its predecessors.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)