Queen Bee: Its Importance in the Hive - Apicoltura Laterza

The queen bee is the heartbeat of every hive, the central figure around which the entire colony revolves. Understanding its life cycle, size, and functions is essential for anyone wishing to dive into beekeeping. This article will delve into everything about the queen bee, from its life cycle to its birth, and its ability to lay thousands of eggs, ensuring the colony's survival.

The queen bee is the heartbeat of every hive, the central figure around which the entire colony revolves. Understanding its life cycle, size, and functions is essential for anyone wishing to dive into beekeeping. This article will delve into everything about the queen bee, from its life cycle to its birth, and its ability to lay thousands of eggs, ensuring the colony's survival.

Queen Bee: How to Recognize It?

The queen bee is easily distinguished from other bees due to its larger size and elongated body. Its reproductive system is more developed compared to worker bees, allowing it to lay thousands of eggs during its life.

• Size: The queen bee is longer and more robust than worker bees and drones. Its abdomen is long and pointed.
• Behavior: It usually moves slowly and is constantly surrounded by nurse bees that feed it royal jelly.

How is the Queen Bee Born?

The birth of the queen bee occurs through a unique and fascinating process. It all starts with queen bee eggs, laid inside special cells called "royal cells." These eggs are fed with royal jelly, a highly protein-rich food produced by nurse bees, stimulating the reproductive system development of the young queen.

• After three days from egg-laying, the egg hatches into a larva.
• Nurse bees continue to feed the larva with royal jelly throughout its growth.
• The larva develops into a young queen in about 16 days.

Once its metamorphosis is complete, the newly hatched queen bee breaks the cap of its cell and begins exploring the hive.

How Many Days Before the Queen is Fertilized?

This newly hatched queen bee, which will become the young queen, has a limited time to prepare for fertilization. After about 7-10 days, the queen undertakes nuptial flights during which it mates with several drones. These flights are crucial for storing the sperm necessary for egg-laying throughout its life.

• Nuptial flights: During the flight, the queen mates with 10-20 drones to ensure genetic diversity for the bee family.
• Egg-laying: Once fertilized, the queen returns to the hive and begins laying eggs.

What Does the Queen Bee Do?

The queen bee has a fundamental role: ensuring the colony's survival through egg-laying. Each day, a fertilized queen can lay up to 2,000 eggs, precisely choosing whether to produce worker bees or drones.

• Egg-laying: The queen examines cell size to decide the type of egg to lay.
• Production of new queens: If necessary, the queen can lay eggs in royal cells to create new queens.

Inside the Hive: Life Around the Queen

Inside the hive, the queen is surrounded by worker bees that feed, clean, and protect her. These nurse bees constantly supply royal jelly to ensure her vitality.

• Bee family: The queen is at the center of the bee family, coordinating all activities through pheromones.
• Role of worker bees: Workers take care of hive maintenance and brood care.

The queen bee is the cornerstone of the hive's entire structure. Understanding its life cycle, birth, and role is essential for maintaining a healthy and productive colony. With the help of Apicoltura Laterza, you can gain all the necessary insights to recognize, manage, and appreciate the queen's work.

If you want to learn more or purchase certified queen bees, visit our website and discover our offers tailored to beekeepers of all levels.

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