However, her middle section or “thorax” is slightly larger than also. This is due primarily to her long abdomen. The largest bee in the colony, a mature mated queen is about twice the size of the workers. The sting of a queen is only for other her rivals – humans are rarely stung by a queen. The first to emerge will quickly kill all other contestants. When making a new queen, the produces several possible candidates.īut, only one new virgin will eventually rule as the new queen. It is only used to kill rivals in the hive. The stinger of a queen is not barbed at the end. She is not tasked with the duty of hive protection and has no reason to sting. Do Queens Have Stingers?Ī queen bee does have a stinger but it is different than that of the workers. This is because she does not leave the hive to gather pollen or nectar. Unlike the other females in the colony, she does not have pollen baskets. ![]() She is much like her sisters but has specialized structures that allow her to perform her duties. Her long tail allows her to reach deep down into the comb cells to attach an egg at the bottom.Īlso, inside is a spermatheca that holds stored semen from the mating process to be used for fertilizing eggs. The large abdomen holds ovaries that will produce a lifetime’s quantity of eggs. However, a quick glance reveals a major visible difference, the presence of a large, long abdomen. She has a head, thorax and abdomen with 2 pairs of wings and 6 legs – antenna, eyes and other vital body parts. The queen does the same-progressing from egg, to larva, pupa and adult.Īnd, we know from bee anatomythat all insects have 3 major body sections. Honey bees are insects that go through several stages of development. In some ways, she is similar to other female members of the colony. Some resources say that the bees can recognize her absence within 15-30 minutes. If the queen bee is missing, the colony is alerted quickly due to a lack of her pheromones. They help to stabilize the mood of the hive and ensure members that everything is going along as it should. These pheromones are chemical messengers that aid in colony communication. Drones are the males that are needed to mate with new queens. The queen bee can also lay unfertilized eggs which develop in drones. ![]() They also build wax comb, raise young and protect the hive from predators. Workers serve as foragers search for food sources and bring it in. This is the work force of the colony and thousands are required to maintain the hive. This is important because fertilized eggs develop into worker bees. Her major claim to fame is her ability to lay fertilized eggs. Of course, the major role of the queen bee involves laying many thousands of bee eggs. That we know of -who knows what we have not yet discovered? each one has a unique smell (pheromones) by which the colony recognizes herĪ queen bee actually has a several known functions in the hive.she only needs 16 days to become an adult – the shortest time of all.any fertilized egg can become a queen bee.the queen bee has a stinger but it is different than that of workers.she only leaves the hive to mate (when young) or swarm.she does not have pollen baskets – her job is inside the hive.after mating semen (sperm) is stored in a special organ in her abdomen.she is the largest member of the colony. ![]() when she runs out of eggs or begins to fail – the workers will kill her.is the only colony member capable of mating and laying fertilized eggs.Let’s begin by looking at a few little known facts about queen bees. Interesting Facts About a Queen Honey Bee
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