But Mr. Kilb meant business. After the conversation, Mr. Kilb wrote home and told his son about his interest. Since then, beekeeping has become a full-time hobby for Mr. Kilb, who keeps about 20 hives, although this year he has about 15. Sometimes, he said, the bees have to make a new queen. It's a female society as far as I'm concerned.
Males are superfluous most of the time.
If there are 80,000 females, there are usually about 200 males in a hive. The queen mates with 12 to 15 males. A male lives about 20 to 25 days in the summer months, while a female lives 30 to 35 days. According to Mr. Kilb, the collection of pollen and nectar is key to the success of a honey crop because they both provide the honey with color and taste. The female has four wax glands in her stomach.