What does a nurse bee look like?

[DayValleyDahlias]

"Make sure there are plenty of nurse bees"  How can I determine..who a nurse bee is?

[randydrivesabus]

the ones attending the brood.

[tig]

they are lighter in color, the eyes are bigger, have a fuzzy appearance, soft bodies and cannot sting you.

[JP]

they are lighter in color, the eyes are bigger, have a fuzzy appearance, soft bodies and cannot sting you.

Tig, Dayvalley was asking about nurse bees, not drones.

Sincerely, JP

[Michael Bush]

If you shake bees off of open brood, most will be nurse bees.

[rdy-b]

nurse bees are the newly hatched and young bees-the way you make sure you have plenty of nurse bees is to always have available brood of all stages to maintain the supply of young nurse bees---very beneficial to the success of your colony- RDY-B

[tig]

JP i was describing the young nurse bees.  they don't sting and look like what i said.

[Moonshae]

JP i was describing the young nurse bees.  they don't sting and look like what i said.

I've never heard that workers' eyes get smaller as they mature.

[johnnybigfish]

 Hmmm..I thought only the drones couldnt sting as their "Things" are developed into "mating tools" and i thought ALL other bees but the queen had their "Egg laying parts" converted into stingers when they were babies.
Did i learn something new tonite?
your friend,
john

[rdy-b]

they are lighter in color, the eyes are bigger, have a fuzzy appearance, soft bodies and cannot sting you.

to bad it is not that easy -they can sting- 8-) RDY-B

[rdy-b]

Hmmm..I thought only the drones couldn't sting as their "Things" are developed into "mating tools" and i thought ALL other bees but the queen had their "Egg laying parts" converted into stingers when they were babies.
Did i learn something new tonight?
your friend,
john

dont think theirs any developing or converting taking place ether  :shock: :-D ;) RDY-B

[the kid]

I am in the undersanding only the drone can not sting ,,,    
in that case if you took a frame of capped brood only no other bees
put them in a nuc ,, when they emerged .. you could take a hand full
of the bees in your hand and squeeze ,,,, with out getting stung ......
that I want to see you do ,,  
how old befor they can sting???????
reason I say this is ,,I have never seen this in any book ,,
or ever heard it
I know Im a greener then grass 2 year keeper ,,,, but
the kid

[johnnybigfish]

Lol!!
Ok, how 'bout "selective genetic outcome" instead of developed and converted?
I got caught up in the moment trying to keep this family oriented and simple for people like me.
Your friend,
john

[rdy-b]

laying workers lay eggs and sting   ;)  "selective genetic outcome" :lol:  sold for a dollar RDY-B

[johnnybigfish]

Good deal RDB-Y!!
send me a twenty and i'll mail back your change!
this is what friends are all about!
your friend,
john

[Brian D. Bray]

"Make sure there are plenty of nurse bees"  How can I determine..who a nurse bee is?

They usually have a funny cap and a stethascope around their necks and a thermometer in one hand.

[DayValleyDahlias]

Oh dear goodness Brian !

[NWIN Beekeeper]

[they are lighter in color]

They have more hair so they appear more yellow, but there isn't a color change as they age.

[the eyes are bigger]

I have not noticed a difference in size.
I have noticed a few old field bees with bi-focals or cataract sunglasses.  8-)

[have a fuzzy appearance]

This is totally true.

[soft bodies and cannot sting you]

For a couple days as the exoskeleton hardens.
I have read that the make up the stinger has to cure and harden too.
But bees can bee nurse bees for weeks (this is only a matter of a few days).
Young bees don't serve as guard bees until they get older (past the nurse stage).
So, young bees tend not to be as defensive of the hive, but will sting if crushed.
So all in all, nurse bees can sting, but normally won't.

To keeps young bees from fouling the brood cells, their digestive tract and rear end are some of the last parts to be developed. The stinger has attachment to the gut muscles.

[CBEE]

Brian beat me to it  :-D

[Michael Bush]

When you "Make sure there are plenty of nurse bees" you don't look at the bees.  You look at the comb you shake them off of.  If you shake them off of open brood then most of them will be nurse bees.

But the descriptions are accurate.