What’s there to know on queen bees? Quite a lot! Bees are such an essential part of our lives; they help pollinate the plants we eat as well as those we just like to look at. Without them, we would have much fewer options in our food choices, and even some of our favorite dishes would have to change without these plants.
Not to mention they make us honey, which in my opinion is one of the most fantastic natural foods available.
But do you really know anything about them? For example, did you know that without a queen bee, you can’t create more bees for your colony, and it dies?
To help you better appreciate bees, and more specifically queen bees, I’ve got 50 interesting facts you should know about these critical creatures.
50 interesting facts about queen bees
At the end of this list, you’ll find the top 10 most asked questions about queen bees, and of course, the answers!
1. A queen bee can lay up to 3,000 eggs per day
A queen bee at her peak can lay up to 3,000 eggs per day. As she ages, or during the winter months, this will be less. Drones (male honey bees) in a colony only live for about 90 days, so the queen must keep producing more drones to keep the colony alive.
2. Any fertilized egg can become a queen bee
Queen bees don’t start out special. If a queen bee is required for a colony, the worker bees will start feeding some fertilized eggs copious amounts of royal jelly (a honey bee secretion), and one of those eggs will become the queen. The cells containing the egg must be large enough for the queen bee to grow, though, so if you’re placed in a small cell, you won’t ever have the chance to be queen.
It is the feeding of copious amounts of royal jelly that makes a queen. Larvae will also eat royal jelly but not in sufficient quantity to become a queen. Once born, workers and drones will eat nectar and pollen.
3. A queen bee will only mate once in her lifetime
Once a queen bee takes the throne, she will go out into the world to mate with many drone bees. The queen bee will only do this once in her lifetime. The genetic material is stored in the queen bee, who will use this for her lifetime to fill her colony.
The drones will die or be ejected from the colony after mating.
4. There can be only one!
A hive can only have one queen. So when a hive decides it’s time for a new queen, they will start preparing several eggs to become queen. As these eggs hatch, they will start calling out for the other queens, who will answer. Once they meet, the potential queens will fight and kill until only one is left and is crowned queen. If any eggs haven’t hatched yet, one of the potential queens will stab it before it can emerge.
The newly crowned queen will mate and then return to the hive, and if the old queen is still there, she will also be killed.
5. The queen bee is the largest in her colony
Queen bees are the largest in the hive. Usually, about double the size of workers and drones, and this is due to the different food they are provided, which is royal jelly. Without this special food, they would be the exact same size as any worker bee.
6. A colony can’t survive without a queen bee
Because the queen bee is the only bee in a colony that can produce eggs, the colony can not survive without a queen. Therefore, if a queen dies or leaves for some reason, she will need to be replaced quickly.
It takes about 15 days for a new queen to be crowned and about five days for the queen bee to mate. While this is happening, the drones are dying and not being replaced.
7. A queen bee can sting multiple times
You probably know that a honey bee can only sting you once, and then it dies because it has a barbed stinger that breaks off in you. On the other hand, a queen bee can sting multiple times because her stringer is smooth and won’t get stuck in you.
Honey bees are not aggressive and only sting to protect themselves or their hive.
8. A queen bee can’t survive without her attendants
A queen bee only does two things, spread her pheromones to keep the colony working together and lay eggs. Queen bee will have attendants who do everything for her, including cleaning, feeding, removing waste, and anything else she needs to survive.
Technically it isn’t even the queen bee who spreads her pheromones; the worker bees collect it and spread it throughout the colony.
9. Queen bees can live for up to seven years
A queen bee can live for seven years, but that is not very likely to happen, as a colony will replace her as she grows older, and her egg production slows down to the point it endangers the hive.
A queen bee will also be replaced if she gets sick because the colony doesn’t have time for her to recover.
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10. Queen bees don’t eat or make honey
A queen bee’s only job is to exist and produce more bees, so she has nothing to do with making honey. We also found out that a queen bee is made by feeding a fertilized egg massive amounts of royal jelly, and that is what she continues to eat for the rest of her life.
Royal jelly is a secretion from nurse bees.
11. Queen bees are not in charge of the hive
A colony is not a monarchy, it is a democracy. The queen and all other bees serve specific purposes, all to ensure the colony survives and thrives.
Worker bees make the decisions on when to replace a queen.
12. Queen bees control the temperament of a colony
The queen bee’s pheromones and genetics generally control the overall temperament of the colony. So if you have found a particularly aggressive colony, it’s likely due to the queen, and any new queens she produces may also create aggressive colonies.
A hive can also be aggressive if they lose their queen and can’t replace her. Though this is a short-lived problem as that colony will die out within about 90 days.
13. Queen bees become adults the fastest
Queen bees are the most crucial to the survival of a colony, so it’s not a surprise that they will hatch and become adults, ready to produce as quickly as possible.
Queen bees will emerge from their cells within 15-16 days, whereas workers emerge at 21 days and drones even later at 24 days.
14. Large colonies will split and go with different queen bees
If a queen bee is doing a great job, she may create such a big colony that it will need to split; this is called swarming. When a hive swarms, worker bees will start creating new queens and stop feeding the current queen as much.
The old queen will need to leave the hive with about half of the colony to find a new home. While the remaining bees will wait for the new queen to emerge, mate, and start producing new bees.
15. Queen bees will be put on a diet at certain times
Worker bees will put their queen bee on a diet for a swarm, when the queen must leave the hive. This is because a queen bee rarely leaves the hive, so weight and how far she can fly don’t matter until it’s time to swarm.
Worker bees will stop feeding her as much so she can slim down and make the journey easier.
16. Queen bees rarely leave the hive
Queen bees rarely leave the hive as we found out. We know they leave once they’re crowned queen to mate; they may also leave if the colony swarms. But do they leave for any other reason, no.
A reigning queen will not leave the hive.
17. A queen bee will lay 40% more eggs her first year than her second
While queen bees can live for seven years, their egg-producing ability diminishes quickly. After the first year of laying eggs, they will lay 40% fewer eggs in their second and then even less in their third. This is often why colonies will replace their queens within 3-4 years.
18. A queen bee can control what type of egg she lays
Unlike humans who have no say in the sex of their baby, a queen bee can control if she will produce a male or female. A hive is filled with workers who are female bees and drones who are male bees. The queen decides which type of egg she will produce by fertilizing the egg or not.
19. A queen bee emits a pheromone that all of her hive knows
A queen bee does not control what happens in the hive. Still, the pheromones she creates are spread throughout the hive, and all of the bees know it, and it allows them to decide if the queen is healthy and the colony is in good hands.
If the pheromone disappears, they soon realize the queen is gone or dead, and they must produce a new one. It also allows them to know if the queen is becoming weak and can’t sustain the colony, which means she needs replacing.
20. A queen bee will slow down egg laying during the winter months
A honey bee colony is always storing food, which is where our honeycombs come from, which humans eat.
However, during the winter months, the queen may slow her production of eggs so that the colony does not get too big and the stores of food are not depleted. If there is no food, then the colony will die.
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21. The Queen is the largest bee in the colony.
The queen bee is the largest bee in a hive, usually measuring around 20mm long, which is about twice the size of worker bees and drones. Her larger size allows for her specialized role in the hive.
22. The queen bee is the mother of all bees in the colony.
Queen bees are the only egg-laying members of the colony. They lay up to 2,000 eggs per day, making them the mothers of all bees within the hive.
23. Queen bees have a lifespan of two to five years.
The queen bee has a significantly longer lifespan than worker bees or drones, living for two to five years. Worker bees live for about six weeks, while drones live until they mate or until autumn arrives.
24. There is usually only one queen bee per hive.
In most bee colonies, there is typically only one queen bee. If the queen bee dies or is not productive, the colony will produce a new queen.
25. Queen bees are identified by a unique pheromone.
Queen bees produce a specific pheromone known as ‘Queen Substance’. This unique scent helps the worker bees identify her and regulate their behavior.
26. Queen bees are raised in special cells.
Queen larvae are raised in specially constructed larger cells known as queen cups. These are larger than regular cells to accommodate the queen’s size.
27. The diet of a queen bee is exclusive.
Unlike worker bees, queen bees are fed royal jelly throughout their life. This special substance, produced by worker bees, helps them grow larger and live longer.
28. Queen bees are the only bees that are fully sexually developed.
The queen bee is the only bee in the hive that is fully sexually developed, allowing her to mate and lay eggs.
29. Mating flights occur early in a queen’s life.
After about five days of emerging from her cell, the queen bee undertakes a series of mating flights, where she will mate with multiple drones to store enough sperm to last her lifetime.
30. The queen bee controls the sex of her offspring.
The queen bee has the unique ability to control the sex of her offspring. She does this by choosing whether or not to fertilize each egg as it is laid.
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31. Drones are the sons of the queen.
Drones, the male bees, are all the sons of the queen bee. They are hatched from unfertilized eggs.
32. The queen bee’s mating flight can cover several miles.
During her mating flights, the queen bee can cover several miles. She mates with drones in the air, often from different colonies, to ensure genetic diversity.
33. Queens perform a ‘piping’ sound.
Queen bees have a unique sound, known as ‘piping’. This sound is often a sign of a queen about to emerge or a queen challenging another queen.
34. The queen can lay her own weight in eggs every day.
Incredibly, a queen bee can lay up to 2,000 eggs in a single day, which is roughly equivalent to her own weight.
35. Queens can be ‘superseded’.
If a queen is failing or has died, the colony can create a new queen in a process known as ‘supersedure’.
36. Some queens are artificially inseminated.
Beekeepers sometimes use artificial insemination to control the genetics of a colony. This process involves collecting drone semen and inseminating the queen under laboratory conditions.
37. Queen bees have a stinger, but rarely use it.
Unlike worker bees, queen bees can sting multiple times without dying. However, they rarely use their stingers, and if they do, it’s typically only against rival queens.
38. The queen bee’s role is reproduction.
The primary role of the queen bee is to lay eggs and keep the colony populated. She does not take part in hive activities like foraging or cleaning.
39. Queen bees can influence the behavior of the colony.
The pheromones produced by the queen bee can influence the behavior of the entire colony, including suppressing the workers’ ability to lay eggs and signaling the colony’s health status.
40. Queen bees have ‘attendants’.
In the hive, the queen bee is constantly surrounded by worker bees, who attend to her needs such as grooming and feeding.
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41. Queen bees have barbed stingers.
While worker bees have barbed stingers that get stuck and cause them to die after stinging, the queen’s stinger is smooth, allowing her to sting repeatedly without harm.
42. Queens can lay both fertilized and unfertilized eggs.
Queens have the ability to lay both fertilized and unfertilized eggs. Fertilized eggs become female worker bees or new queens, while unfertilized eggs become male drones.
43. The ‘queenright’ status dictates colony behavior.
The presence of a healthy queen (queenright status) affects the behavior and morale of the colony. If a hive is queenless, the colony may become noticeably agitated or disorganized.
44. Beekeepers often mark queens for easy identification.
Beekeepers often mark the queen with a small dot of paint on her thorax. This marking makes the queen easier to spot and can also indicate her age.
45. The queen bee does not decide on the hive’s daily activities.
Despite her title, the queen bee does not ‘rule’ the hive. Decisions like when to forage or build are communal decisions made by worker bees.
46. Queens can be ‘reared’.
Beekeepers can rear queens intentionally by grafting young worker larvae into queen cups. This allows beekeepers to influence the genetics and qualities of the new queen.
47. The queen bee regulates hive population.
By controlling the number of eggs she lays, the queen bee plays a crucial role in regulating the population of the hive.
48. Queens are vulnerable during hive swarming.
During swarming, when a large group of worker bees leave the nest to establish a new colony, the old queen usually leaves with the swarm, making her vulnerable to predators and weather.
49. A queen bee can mate with up to 20 drones.
During her mating flights, a queen bee can mate with up to 20 drones. The sperm is stored in her spermatheca and used to fertilize eggs throughout her life.
50. The death of a queen bee can lead to colony collapse.
If a queen bee dies and the hive cannot replace her, the colony can collapse. Without a queen to lay eggs and produce pheromones, the hive population declines, leading to eventual collapse.
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Top 10 most asked questions about queen bees
1. What is the role of the queen bee in a hive?
The queen bee’s primary role in the hive is reproduction. She is the only sexually mature female in the colony and spends her life laying up to 2000 eggs per day, which ensures the colony’s survival and growth.
2. How is a queen bee chosen or created?
A queen bee is created when a worker bee feeds a chosen larvae an exclusive diet of royal jelly. This special substance allows the larva to develop into a fertile queen. If the current queen dies or becomes unproductive, the worker bees will select a new larva and create a replacement queen.
3. How long does a queen bee live?
A queen bee typically lives between 2 to 5 years, which is significantly longer than the lifespan of a worker bee that lives only a few weeks to months. However, the queen’s productivity in laying eggs diminishes with age, leading the colony to replace her.
4. How does a queen bee communicate with other bees?
Queen bees communicate using pheromones, a kind of chemical signal. These queen-specific substances, also known as queen substance, help to control the behavior of the worker bees and maintain social harmony within the hive.
5. Does a hive have more than one queen bee at a time?
Normally, there is only one queen bee in a hive. If the queen dies, a new queen is created. During a process known as supersedure, a new queen will be raised to replace a weak or failing queen while she is still alive.
6. What happens when a queen bee dies or is removed from the hive?
When a queen bee dies or is removed, the hive typically falls into disarray until a new queen is created. If a new queen does not emerge, the hive can die out as worker bees are unable to reproduce.
7. How many eggs does a queen bee lay in a day?
A healthy queen bee can lay up to 2000 eggs in a single day, depending on the species and the condition of the colony. The eggs are fertilized if they are to become female worker bees or queens, or left unfertilized to become male drones.
8. What is the difference between queen bees and worker bees?
Queen bees and worker bees are both females, but only the queen is sexually mature. The queen’s main function is to reproduce, while worker bees perform various tasks such as foraging for food, caring for larvae, and maintaining the hive.
9. How can beekeepers introduce a new queen to an existing hive?
Beekeepers can introduce a new queen to an existing hive by initially isolating her in a queen cage, which protects her from being attacked by the worker bees while they get used to her pheromones. After a few days, the cage is opened and the queen is usually accepted into the colony.
10. Why does a queen bee mate with multiple drones (male bees)?
A queen bee mates with multiple drones to ensure genetic diversity within the hive. This process, known as a mating flight, occurs only once in the queen’s lifetime. The sperm collected during this flight is stored and used to fertilize eggs throughout her life.
Final Thoughts
It’s interesting to know that a queen bee is not the head of the colony and is just performing a task like any other bee. She does have a unique and critical job, but she can be replaced if she isn’t performing well enough.
I hope you learned something new about queen bees and the colonies they serve. I also hope you have a new appreciation for how hard bees work, especially if you enjoy eating the results of that hard work.
