Identifying the queen bee among thousands of colony members is a foundational skill for beekeepers, as she is the sole reproductive female responsible for the colony’s growth and survival. Finding her can be challenging because she is surrounded by thousands of other bees. However, her unique morphology, behavior, and location within the hive provide distinct clues for her recognition.
Distinct Physical Traits
The queen bee is noticeably different from worker bees and drones. She is the longest bee in the colony, measuring approximately 18 to 22 millimeters, significantly larger than the 12 to 15-millimeter worker bees.
This size difference is most apparent in her abdomen, which is smooth, elongated, and tapers to a pointed end, giving her a distinctive torpedo or cigar shape. Her wings appear proportionally shorter relative to her enlarged body, often covering only about two-thirds of her abdomen when at rest.
Unlike the worker bee, whose stinger is barbed, the queen’s stinger is smooth, allowing her to sting multiple times. She reserves this ability primarily for fighting rival queens. To aid identification, beekeepers often place a small, colored dot of paint on her thorax, following a five-year international color code system.
Identifying Behavior and Movement
A queen’s movement is characterized by its deliberate, unhurried pace across the honeycomb, contrasting sharply with the erratic, bustling movements of the workers. She continually assesses empty cells before inserting her abdomen to lay an egg. During the peak season, she can lay up to 2,000 eggs per day.
The queen is typically surrounded by a close-knit circle of 10 to 12 worker bees known as the “retinue” or “Queen’s Court.” These attendant bees constantly groom, feed her specialized diet of royal jelly, and dispose of her waste. This cluster often parts as she approaches, creating a momentary gap that draws the observer’s eye. The queen rarely leaves the hive after her initial mating flights, only doing so during a swarming event.
Where to Look in the Colony
The queen’s location within the hive is highly predictable because her primary function is egg-laying. She is almost always found deep within the central part of the colony, specifically on the frames that make up the brood nest. This area contains the highest concentration of eggs, larvae, and pupae.
She will not be found on frames dedicated to storing honey or pollen, nor near the hive entrance, as she is not a foraging bee. The most practical approach involves starting the search on the innermost frames of the lower brood box, where the youngest brood is located. The presence of freshly laid eggs—tiny, white specks at the base of the cells—confirms her recent activity and indicates she is likely on that frame or an adjacent one.