Clan Apis 
Chapter two: Swarm
   
The Story     

 Nyuki is faced with a monumental decision. The old queen is leaving with half of the hive. Nyuki's mentor Dvorah is joining the swarm and she wants Nyuki to come too. Will Nyuki follow the swarm with Dvorah or will she stay and become a member of the new queen's hive?  The cover of Clan Apis #2: Swarm features a swarm comprised of bees drawn by Paul Chadwick, Stan Sakai, Tara Tallan, Mark Crilley, Marc Hempel and a gaggle of little kids!
The Science: the following topics are covered within the context of the story.    

  • External changes during metamorphosis
  • Shows Nyuki chewing her way out of her wax cell when she is ready to emerge.
  • An indication of the number of bees in a hive.
  • The role of the queen as the sole egg layer.
  • Behavioral techniques bees use to keeping the hive cool.
  • Swarming
  • Who usually leaves the hive during a swarm.
  • The tell-tale changes in hive behavior that proceeds swarming.
  • Why the queen is bigger than the workers.
  • How many eggs a queen lays in her lifetime.
  • The role of the queen as both sovereign and slave in the hive.
  • How the queen uses pheromones to control worker behavior.
  • What triggers the raising of new queens.
  • The behavior of queen piping.
  • Competition between the new queens and their mother.
  • How a swarm coordinates its search for new home.
  • How scouts convey information about potential nest sites.
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