28. The Life of a Queen Honeybee :
- Kanna Das
- Apr 10, 2025
- 5 min read
The Life of a Queen Honeybee.
The queen bee holds a vital role in the health and continuity of the honeybee colony. She is the mother of all the bees in the hive and the only egg-laying female in a normal, functioning colony. Unlike worker bees, her life is determined before she even hatches—by diet, hive conditions, and pheromonal signals within the colony.
How Queen Bees Are Made
A queen bee is made, not born, by the collective decision of the worker bees. Several situations can trigger the need to raise a new queen: when the current queen becomes old, weak, or dies; or when the queen’s pheromone signals become insufficient to suppress the development of new queens. Once this decision is made, the workers begin constructing special queen cells—larger, peanut-shaped structures that hang vertically from the frame.
Inside each queen cell is a fertilised egg, just like any other female bee’s beginning. The difference lies in the feeding. While all larvae are fed royal jelly for the first few days, only the developing queen continues receiving a steady diet of this protein-rich secretion throughout her larval stage. This triggers her ovaries to fully develop, and she matures into a fertile queen. A colony typically raises multiple queen cells—often between 10 and 15—as a safeguard. However, only one queen will rule.
What Does the Queen Bee Do When She First Emerges?
When a queen honeybee first emerges from her special, peanut-shaped cell, she does not immediately begin ruling the hive. Her first instinct is shaped by a powerful biological drive: survival. She is not alone—there are likely other developing queens still sealed inside their cells, or in some cases, multiple queens may emerge close together. This is a critical and dangerous moment for a queen, as there can be only one reigning queen in a healthy hive.
Immediately after emergence, the new queen begins to assert her dominance by making loud, distinct vocalisations known as "piping". This high-pitched sound is created by vibrating her wing muscles without flying and pressing her thorax against the comb. The purpose of this call is twofold: to signal her presence and to challenge any other rival queens in the hive. These sounds serve as battle cries, warning the hive and any competing queens that she is ready for combat.
Remarkably, queen bees that are still unhatched can respond to this challenge from within their cells. These yet-to-emerge rivals produce a muffled "quacking" sound—an audible back-and-forth exchange that informs the colony of an impending queen duel. Worker bees often regulate this process. In a swarming situation, they may prevent the newly emerged queen from immediately killing the others, delaying direct combat to allow for swarming preparations.
But in the absence of swarming plans, the new queen is typically allowed to roam freely and seek out the other queen cells. Using her sharp, recurved stinger—unlike the barbed stingers of worker bees—she stabs and kills her rivals before they emerge. If multiple queens are free at once, they engage in a deadly battle until only one survives. This process ensures the strongest, most dominant queen leads the colony.
This intense introduction to leadership defines the queen’s early life and is crucial for establishing her authority and ensuring the stability of the colony.
In the case of a swarm, however, the older queen usually leaves the hive with a portion of the colony to find a new home. This is nature’s way of colony reproduction. The new queen remains in the original hive to continue the legacy. If a weaker queen is forced out or loses in a battle, she may leave with a small group of workers in a “secondary swarm,” although such groups rarely survive without sufficient resources.
When a new queen emerges, the old, weak queen departs with a portion of the colony to find a new home (usually as part of a swarm or after losing dominance). This is nature’s way of colony reproduction. The new queen remains in the original hive to continue the legacy. The colony then must go through a delicate process to accept and establish the new queen. This transition is not automatic. Honeybee colonies rely on chemical cues and behavioural signals to determine whether a queen is suitable to lead.
1. How does a queen decide to lay male (drone) or female eggs?
The queen does not consciously “decide”, but she controls fertilisation of each egg using a valve connected to her spermatheca (the sperm storage organ).
The rules are simple:
Fertilised egg → female (worker or queen)
Unfertilised egg → male (drone)
What influences her choice?
a) Cell size (primary trigger)
Small worker cells → queen releases sperm → female egg
Large drone cells → queen withholds sperm → male egg
She can measure cell size with her forelegs before laying.
b) Colony condition. Workers influence drone production by:
Building more drone comb in spring/early summer
Reducing or removing drone comb in late season or dearth
The queen simply follows the comb provided.
c) Season and resources
Strong nectar flow → more drones allowed
Poor conditions → mostly worker eggs
2. How many eggs does a queen lay per day?
A healthy, well-mated queen can lay:
1,000–2,000 eggs per day
Exceptional queens may reach 2,500 eggs/day during peak spring flow
That’s roughly her own body weight in eggs every day.
Egg-laying rate depends on:
Queen age and genetics
Available empty cells
Worker population
Nectar and pollen availability
Temperature inside the hive
3. What happens if there is no space for laying eggs?
If the brood nest becomes crowded with honey or pollen, several things happen:
a) Queen slows or stops laying
She cannot lay without empty, polished cells
Egg-laying drops even if she is healthy
b) Swarming impulse increases
Congestion is a major trigger for swarming:
Workers sense reduced brood expansion
Queen cells may be started
Colony prepares to divide
c) Colony growth stalls
Fewer workers are produced
Foraging strength may decline later
Beekeeping insight: Providing space (adding frames or supers at the right time) keeps the queen laying and reduces swarming risk.
4. Does the queen have a resting season?
Yes—but it is environment-driven, not voluntary.
In temperate climates:
Late autumn to winter:
Queen greatly reduces or completely stops laying
Colony forms a winter cluster
Early spring:
Egg laying resumes slowly, then accelerates
In tropical or mild climates:
Egg laying may continue year-round
Short pauses occur during nectar dearths, droughts, or heavy rains
The queen responds to:
Day length
Temperature
Nectar flow
Worker feeding behaviour
If workers stop feeding her heavily, egg laying naturally slows.
In summary
Drone vs worker eggs: controlled by fertilisation, guided by cell size
Eggs per day: 1,000–2,000 at peak
No space: queen slows laying, swarm risk increases
Resting season: yes, during winter or dearths, depending on the climate
What happens when the queen bee dies? -video
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