From her appearance to her role in the hive, she stands out from her fellow bees.Ī honeybee queen is the largest bee in her colony-she’s usually around twice as long as a worker bee. This is why a bee colony is sometimes called a “superorganism.” What Work Does a Queen Bee Do?Įveryone’s heard of the queen bee. One group cannot survive on its own without the whole colony’s support. With each bee type charged with a distinct role, they work together to exist and thrive. Being the only female in the colony with developed ovaries, she is considered a central figure within the hive. There is only one queen bee in one colony. Around fall, drones are kicked out of their hives and left to die. They can live up to 8 weeks during that time, they regularly leave to fulfill their only role, which is to mate with the queen bee. Drones are male bees and are slightly longer and stouter than worker bees. What are drone bees?ĭuring the spring and summer, several hundred drones hang around the hive. All worker bees are in charge of everything from construction and maintenance within the colony. All worker bees are females that are not sexually developed. What are worker bees?Ī single honey bee colony can have up to 60,000 worker bees or more. The Honey Bees’ Way of Life: How a Colony Worksīefore we learn about the life of the queen bee, it’s important to put things in perspective and learn about the honey bees’ way of life. But what exactly does the queen honey bee do, and what happens when a colony loses its queen? Learn more about the pivotal role of the queen bee and how she influences the hive’s growth and overall survival. Every colony of honey bees relies on a queen bee to function and survive.

New queen bee