What Does the Queen Bee Actually Do?

The queen bee is often thought of as the ruler of the hive, issuing orders to thousands of worker bees. In reality, her role is very different.

A queen bee doesn't tell the colony what to do. She doesn't direct foraging trips, build honeycomb or make honey. Instead, her primary responsibility is to ensure the survival of the colony by laying eggs and producing the pheromones that keep the hive united.

Without a healthy queen, a honey bee colony cannot survive for long.

How is a queen bee created?

Every female bee starts life in exactly the same way.

The difference is in how she is raised.

When the colony needs a new queen, selected larvae are fed a special diet of royal jelly throughout their development. This rich food allows the larva to develop into a fully fertile queen rather than a worker bee.

It is one of nature's most remarkable examples of how nutrition can influence development.

How many eggs does a queen bee lay?

During the busiest part of the season, a healthy queen can lay between 1,500 and 2,000 eggs every day.

That's more than her own body weight in eggs every 24 hours.

Each egg is carefully placed into a single honeycomb cell, where it will develop into either a worker bee or a drone, depending on whether the egg has been fertilised.

This incredible rate of egg laying allows the colony to grow rapidly during spring and summer when nectar is plentiful.

Is the queen really in charge?

Surprisingly, no.

Although the colony revolves around the queen, many decisions are made collectively by the worker bees.

Worker bees decide:

• When to collect nectar
• Which flowers to visit
• When to raise new queens
• When to swarm
• How to defend the hive
• How to care for developing brood

The queen's role is to provide the next generation of bees and produce pheromones that help maintain harmony within the colony.

What happens if the queen dies?

If the queen dies unexpectedly, the colony acts quickly.

Worker bees select several very young larvae and begin feeding them royal jelly. These larvae develop into potential new queens.

Once the first new queen emerges, she usually eliminates her rivals before taking over the colony. After mating, she begins laying eggs and restores the hive to full strength.

If the colony cannot produce a replacement queen, it will eventually decline and die.

How long does a queen bee live?

A queen bee can live for three to five years, making her by far the longest-lived member of the colony.

Worker bees born during the busy summer months usually live for just five to six weeks, while drones survive only until the end of the mating season unless they successfully mate earlier.

Because a queen's egg-laying ability gradually declines with age, many beekeepers replace queens every one or two years to keep colonies healthy and productive.

How do beekeepers find the queen?

Finding a queen among tens of thousands of bees can be surprisingly difficult.

She is usually longer than the worker bees, with a more slender abdomen that extends beyond her wings. Many beekeepers gently mark queens with a small coloured dot, making them much easier to spot during inspections.

The colour isn't chosen at random. There is an internationally recognised marking system that identifies the year the queen was born.

Even without seeing the queen herself, experienced beekeepers can often tell she is present by finding freshly laid eggs and healthy brood.

Why the queen matters

A strong queen is the foundation of every successful colony.

When she is healthy, the colony grows, gathers nectar, produces honey and has the workforce needed to survive the seasons.

At Home Farm MK, checking the health and performance of each queen is one of the most important parts of our regular hive inspections. By ensuring every colony has a healthy, productive queen, we help our bees thrive while producing the delicious unprocessed English honey our customers enjoy.

A remarkable insect

Although she may not rule the hive in the way many people imagine, the queen bee is an extraordinary insect.

Her ability to produce thousands of eggs, communicate through pheromones and sustain an entire colony makes her one of the most fascinating creatures in the natural world.

The next time you enjoy a spoonful of English honey, remember that behind every thriving hive is a remarkable queen bee working quietly at its heart.