The queen honey bee is the central figure within a colony. She is the primary reproductive female, influencing the entire hive’s organization and well-being. Her presence is fundamental for the colony’s continued existence; without her, the hive’s social structure and functions would quickly deteriorate.
The Queen’s Vital Role in the Colony
The queen bee’s primary function is reproduction, laying all the eggs in the colony. During peak seasons, she can lay over 1,500 to 2,000 eggs daily, ensuring the hive’s population growth. She determines the sex of her offspring; fertilized eggs develop into female worker bees or new queens, while unfertilized eggs become male drones. This control over reproduction is crucial for maintaining the balance of different castes within the hive.
Beyond egg-laying, the queen produces chemical signals known as pheromones, often referred to as “queen substance” or queen mandibular pheromone (QMP). This pheromone is distributed throughout the colony as worker bees groom and feed the queen, then share it with other nest mates. QMP plays a significant role in maintaining colony cohesion, influencing worker bee physiology and behavior.
The presence of QMP inhibits the development of ovaries in worker bees, preventing them from laying eggs. It also suppresses the rearing of new queens, ensuring that only one queen typically presides over the hive. QMP also affects worker bee behavior, influencing tasks like foraging and promoting social harmony within the colony. The consistent distribution of this pheromone signals the queen’s presence and health, preventing the colony from breaking down.
From Larva to Queen Bee
The development of a queen bee follows a unique and specialized path, differing significantly from worker bees or drones. It begins when worker bees select a fertilized egg, which is genetically identical to a worker bee egg. This chosen egg is then placed in a specially constructed, larger cell known as a queen cell, which hangs vertically.
Once the egg hatches into a larva after approximately three days, the future queen receives an exclusive diet. Unlike worker and drone larvae, which transition to a diet of pollen and honey, the queen larva is fed royal jelly continuously throughout her entire larval stage. This protein-rich secretion, produced by nurse bees, triggers the full development of her reproductive organs and larger body size.
After about five to six days as a larva, the developing queen spins a cocoon and enters the pupal stage within her capped queen cell. This pupal phase lasts approximately seven to ten days, during which she undergoes metamorphosis. Around 16 days after the egg was laid, the new queen emerges from her cell, often ready to eliminate any rival virgin queens.
Recognizing the Queen
Identifying the queen bee within a colony requires observation of her distinct physical characteristics and behavior. She is the largest bee in the hive, longer and more robust than worker bees or drones. Her abdomen is elongated and tapered, extending beyond her wings, which appear short in comparison to her body length.
The queen’s back appears shiny and hairless, contrasting with the fuzzier backs of worker bees and drones. Her legs are longer and more splayed out, contributing to her deliberate movement across the comb. While her color can vary, her size and body proportions are more reliable indicators than coloration alone.
Behaviorally, the queen moves with a calm and steady demeanor, unlike the frantic activity of worker bees. She is found in the brood nest area, where she lays eggs, and is surrounded by a “retinue” of worker bees. These attendants groom and feed her, recognizing her authority.
Colony Dynamics Without a Queen
When a honey bee colony loses its queen, the absence of her pheromones quickly signals her loss to the worker bees. This triggers an urgent response from the colony to raise a new queen. If the queen is suddenly lost, worker bees can create “emergency queens” by selecting young female larvae (typically less than three days old) and modifying existing worker cells into queen cells. These larvae are then fed exclusively royal jelly to facilitate their development into queens.
Colonies also replace queens through a natural process called supersedure. This occurs when an aging or failing queen, identified by a decrease in her pheromone production, is replaced by the colony raising new queens. Supersedure cells are often built in the middle of the comb, unlike swarm cells which are typically found along the bottom edges.
Swarming is another natural process where the old queen leaves the hive with a portion of the worker bees to establish a new colony, leaving a new queen behind in the original hive. This reproductive swarming impulse is often triggered by overcrowding and reduced pheromone distribution within the hive. If the colony fails to successfully raise a new queen, whether through emergency rearing, supersedure, or swarming, the consequences can be severe.
Without a queen laying fertilized eggs, the worker bee population will dwindle as older bees die off. In the absence of a queen, some worker bees may begin to lay unfertilized eggs, which can only develop into drones, leading to a “laying worker” hive. A colony with only drones and no new worker bees cannot sustain itself and will eventually decline and collapse.