Honey bee colonies are intricate societies, centered around the queen bee. She is the sole egg-layer, responsible for producing all bees within the hive. A healthy colony relies on a productive queen to maintain its population and ensure its future. However, queen bees eventually age, decline, or face unforeseen circumstances, necessitating their replacement. Honey bees have developed mechanisms to ensure this continuity.
Why a Colony Needs a New Queen
A honey bee colony initiates the process of raising a new queen for several reasons, linked to the health and productivity of the existing queen. Queens naturally decline in their egg-laying capacity and queen pheromone production over time. This reduction in pheromones, which regulate colony behavior and inhibit worker bee reproduction, signals to workers that the queen is failing.
Physical damage or disease affecting the queen can also trigger her replacement. A robust and growing colony might proactively raise new queens as part of its natural reproductive strategy. This allows the colony to divide, forming new independent units, ensuring the propagation of the bee population.
The Biology of Queen Rearing
Creating a new queen begins with worker bees selecting a young larva. These larvae are typically one to three days old and would otherwise develop into worker bees. Bees prioritize well-fed larvae.
Once chosen, the larva receives an exclusive diet of royal jelly throughout its larval stage. Royal jelly is a protein-rich secretion produced from glands in the heads of young worker bees. This specialized diet, rich in proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, mineral salts, and vitamins, transforms a female larva into a queen rather than a worker.
As the larva grows, worker bees construct a specialized, elongated queen cell around it. These cells, often resembling a peanut shell and oriented vertically, are distinct from the smaller, hexagonal cells used for worker or drone brood. The royal jelly’s viscous consistency helps anchor the developing larva to the roof of the queen cell. The queen’s development is accelerated compared to worker bees, taking approximately 16 days from egg to emergence, due to this constant royal jelly nourishment.
Natural Pathways to a New Queen
Honey bee colonies employ distinct strategies to acquire a new queen, each initiated by specific circumstances within the hive.
Swarming
Swarming represents a colony’s natural reproductive process. The old queen departs the hive with a significant portion of adult worker bees to establish a new colony elsewhere. Before leaving, the original hive prepares numerous queen cells, ensuring new queens emerge to continue the original colony.
Supersedure
Supersedure is a more gradual and often less noticeable process where the colony replaces a failing queen. This occurs when the existing queen’s egg-laying declines or her pheromone production lessens, signaling her inadequacy. Workers construct a few queen cells, typically on the face of the comb, and a new queen emerges and often begins laying eggs before the old queen is eliminated. This subtle transition ensures colony continuity without the dramatic division seen in swarming.
Emergency Queen Rearing
Emergency queen rearing occurs in response to the sudden loss of the queen. If the queen dies or is accidentally removed, worker bees rapidly convert existing young worker larvae into queens. They achieve this by modifying standard worker cells and feeding these larvae an exclusive diet of royal jelly. This reactive method allows the colony to quickly produce a replacement.
Life with a New Queen
Once new queen cells are capped, the first virgin queen to emerge eliminates rivals. She seeks out and stings any unhatched rivals in their cells. If another virgin queen has already emerged, they fight until only one survives.
After establishing herself as the sole queen, the virgin queen undertakes mating flights. She leaves the hive to mate with multiple drones, often 10 to 20, from various colonies in designated drone congregation areas. She stores the sperm in a specialized organ called the spermatheca, used to fertilize eggs throughout her egg-laying life.
Upon her return, the newly mated queen begins egg-laying, typically within 2 to 10 days after her mating flights. Her consistent egg production re-establishes the colony’s population and ensures its stability and growth. These mechanisms highlight the honey bee colony’s capacity for self-preservation and adaptation, ensuring its survival even after the loss of its queen.