The average size of a colony varies greatly - theny can have between 10000 (in winter) and 60000 (at the height of the summer) members, the proportions of different bees are as follows - 1 queen, around 1500 male drones in summer and around 10000 - 60000 female workers depending on the time of year. The greatest number of bees will be in summer when the queen is laying well and there is the maximum amount of pollen and nectar available for the colony.