7 Things You Don't Know About Queen Bees
Queen bees are at the heart of the life of all the bees in a swarm. The survival of the hive revolves solely around its ruler.
A series of chain mechanisms indissolubly links the life cycle of these wonderful animals.
Curiosities about the world of bees
The world of bees is really full of things to learn. Knowing all the particularities and characteristics that distinguish this living species is really difficult. Did you know for example that bees have 5 eyes ? Their view is really special so much that it is still the subject of numerous studies today. You can learn more about the topic in our article How bees see.
We have decided to summarize some curiosities about these interesting living beings in a short list. Here's to you 7 things you didn't know about bees :
1. Queen bees don't make decisions
The hive is organized according to a precise and efficient division of roles. This is not a hierarchy but a collaboration. The queen bees are defined as the rulers of the hive but the reality is that without their workers, they would not be able to provide for themselves. On the contrary, the rest of the bee family would face death without the presence of a queen. The strength of a swarm therefore depends on a perfect interaction between the queen and the rest of the bees.
The queen bees are in part able to control the behavior of the workers through the production of pheromones : particular olfactory hormones that influence other bees. In reality, however, when it comes to more important operations such as the replacement of the queen, or the choice of a nesting site, it is the worker bees to make this type of decision. The queen bee is therefore not a monarch but she is still an essential element for the swarm as she is the only one capable of reproducing. The hive system is therefore closer to a democratic and non-monarchical procedure.
2. The rulers of the hive mate only once in their entire life
Queen bees, as already specified, are the only bees capable of reproducing. Their production rates are truly insane. In fact, a queen can lay up to 1500 eggs per day! But how is this possible?
The reproduction of the queen bee is truly a curious and interesting element. The sovereign lives almost all of her life inside the hive, so much so that she is unable to fly like the other bees. The only time the queen explores the outside world is during mating. The latter will happen only once in her entire existence. Since this is a unique event, the queen must collect enough semen within herself to be able to produce fertile eggs for the rest of her life. Precisely for this reason, the queen will mate with all the drones of the hive and store their seed inside her internal pockets called spermatheca. These are particular organs that only the queen has. A colony with a well-matched queen will thrive over time and become stronger. When a queen runs out of semen for egg fertilization, she will be replaced.
3. It is possible to choose the sex of the larvae during spawning
In this regard, here's another surprising curiosity. Bees are able to decree the sex of new births. Fertilized eggs in fact will give life to female bees destined to become workers or new queens. The unfertilized eggs, on the other hand, will give life to male bees or drones .
4. To become queens, bees duel
When bees plan the birth of a new queen, they usually prepare more than one. When the chosen larvae then develop and reach the adult stage, they will have to clash in a deadly duel so that the winner is decreed and therefore the actual queen of the hive. The clash takes place through a match in which the winner stabs the opponent with her sting, killing her.
5. The queen's sting has a double function
The sting of the queen bee therefore has a double function. It is used as a combat weapon but is also capable of giving life. It is thanks to its sting that the queen manages to lay eggs. In fact, it is possible to notice a clear difference compared to that of worker bees which is serrated and slightly curved as it is used exclusively as a defense. The queen's is instead long and smooth, ideal for laying eggs in cells .
6. A queen bee cannot survive alone
The worker bees and the whole swarm are extremely apprehensive of their queen bee. The workers take care of any need of her starting from food, up to body heating and a series of other precautions that keep the queen always healthy and in full strength. The habit of all these services makes the queen unable to provide for herself to the point that she alone would not be able to survive even a day.
7. The queens follow a different diet
Larvae destined to become queens develop more rigorously, bigger and stronger. These characteristics depend solely on the nourishment they receive. The queen bees in fact obtain delicious food compared to the others. What we are referring to is royal jelly . The larvae present in the royal cells receive this type of nutrition until their complete development which makes them grow in a different way from the others, allowing them to develop an efficient reproductive system that distinguishes precisely the role of the queen bee .
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