How long does a queen bee live

The queen bee is not only the functioning heart of the whole hive but possesses such abilities that make it truly special.

The queen is capable of producing up to 1500 eggs per day. For this reason it is defined as the mother of all bees . In addition to its performing physical characteristics relating to reproduction, the queen bee has a larger, more resistant and more durable body. The queen bee lives for a much longer time than the worker bees. Her life is on average enclosed in a period of time that varies from 2 to 5 years. 

The queen bee does not survive alone

The life span of a queen can be influenced by a large number of factors such as climatic conditions, the environment in which the hive is located and its efficiency in reproduction.

It should be noted, however, that a queen bee is absolutely unable to survive alone. Without her swarm and the continuous care of her family, she would not be able to resist even a single day. The queen bees are not aware of the outside world as their life takes place only in the hive. For example, queen bees would not be able to get food, collect pollen and transform it into honey, and would therefore not be able to survive for long in an autonomous individual situation.

How a beehive works

Within a hive, the tasks are strictly divided and rigid. The hive revolves around a perfect system. Precisely because of this perfection, no mistakes are allowed. Each bee has a well-defined task. There are different categories of bees present in a swarm but it is not a real hierarchy, but rather a well-cataloged and divided collaboration.

In fact, the queen is not a monarch and it is not she who pilots her choice of her worker bees her. Although the workers constantly take care of their sovereign, they can also make autonomous decisions for the good of the hive. Queen bees tend to keep other bees in the family in check through the production of pheromones. Pheromones are particular hormones generated by the queen that emit an olfactory sensation capable of communicating with the other components of the hive. The production of pheromones serves to attract the attention of the workers who will always be subservient to the needs of the sovereign.

But when the queen becomes less efficient at breeding, the rest of the swarm immediately creates a new queen from the larvae selected for this role. In this case, the bees act independently from their queen, working to replace the latter with a new, younger and more efficient one.

How long does a honey bee last

The life of honey bees is different from that of their queen. A bee lives on average for 40 to 150 days which is a very limited number compared to the five years of a queen bee. Currently, the survival status of bees has increasingly less comforting prospects. In recent years, bees have learned to adapt not only to the arrival of new predators but also to continuous climate change.

Sting and defense

Obviously, as we well know, the bee's life is also conditioned by her defense in relation to the way in which the sting is used. When bees feel threatened, they use the latter as a defense tool. Unlike the sting of the queen bee which is used to lay eggs, that of honey bees in general constitutes a real weapon to defend themselves and not a reproduction tool that (apart from the queen) they are not capable of. . The sting of bees is in fact rough and notched specifically to penetrate forcefully into the skin or body of those who make them feel in danger. The drones, or males of the hive , do not possess any stings and are therefore unable to defend themselves.

When a bee uses its sting against a human being ... it goes against certain death. Speaking in terms of anatomy regarding the bee's body, the sting is closely related to its intestines. Our skin has an elastic fabric that does not allow the bee to retract the sting which unfortunately remains stuck in the dermis. Together with the sting, some of its internal parts such as the viscera and the poison glands remain attached to our skin, so the bee dies in a short time.

When bees use the stinger to other insects, there are no dangers of this type since insects are usually equipped with an exoskeleton and in this case, the sting is almost always extracted without difficulty.

Why are there fewer and fewer bees?

The decrease in bees within the entire planet is attracting the attention of all the best biologists and scholars. The number of bees is decreasing year after year. The decimation phenomenon has to do with different reasons certainly attributable to environmental pollution and climate change. The disproportionate use of herbicides and chemical agents in the agricultural sector creates an environment that is less and less hospitable for bees who are forced to cope even with the arrival of new predators. It is not uncommon for many species, such as the Asian giant hornet , to have changed habitats by moving to different places and damaging entire ecosystems including bees.

Purchase bees online

If you are a beekeeper and you need queen bees for your farm, we inform you that you can buy bees online by ordering directly from our website.

Apicoltura Laterza deals with the production and cultivation of selected virgin and fertile queen bees. We have Buckfast queen bees and Ligustic queen bees of the highest quality and completely disease free.

Buy now by accessing our section: Queen Bees