Queen bee
Also known as: Queen, Queen honey bee, Queen honeybee
The queen bee is the only fertile female of a honey bee colony, and the one that lays eggs.
The queen bee is the only fertile female of a honey bee colony, and the one that lays eggs. At the height of the season a quality queen lays over 2,000 eggs a day. From egg to adult queen takes about 16 days.
The larvae raised as queens are fed royal jelly, secreted by the glands of young worker nurse bees aged 6–12 days. The queen cell is capped about 9 days after the egg is laid. When several queen cells are provisioned, the first queen to emerge kills her sisters.
A young queen stays in the hive for 5–8 days before her mating flights. According to Metz and Tarpy (Insects, 2019), she mates with about 12–20 drones and stores the sperm in her spermatheca. A queen can live 7 years or more, but productivity usually declines after 1–2 years; commercial beekeepers replace queens up to twice a year. According to MSU, queens older than 2 years should be replaced.
Why this matters to you. The queen determines colony strength and the urge to swarm: colonies with queens more than a year old are more likely to swarm, because older queens produce less queen substance (MSU). That is why beekeepers replace queens regularly.
Facts
| Duration | 16 days from egg to queen; lives 7 years or more, productivity declines after 1–2 years |
|---|---|
| House range | Over 2,000 eggs a day at peak season |
| Main use | The colony's only fertile female; mates with about 12–20 drones |
| Raw material | Royal jelly (secreted by nurse bees) |
How it connects to Honey & beekeeping
Links
- Part of
- 🐝 Bees
- Similar and different
- Royal jelly, Honey bee colony life cycle
Frequently asked questions
Is the queen bee also called the queen honeybee?
Yes. Queen, queen bee and queen honey bee all name the colony's only fertile female, the one that lays the eggs.
Is it true that a queen lives for only one season?
No: she can live 7 years or more, but productivity usually declines after 1–2 years.
How many eggs can a good queen lay in a day?
Over 2,000 at the height of the season.
Which bees feed the future queens?
Young worker nurse bees aged 6–12 days, whose glands secrete the royal jelly the queen larvae receive.
Why are older queens linked with swarming?
Colonies with queens more than a year old are more likely to swarm, because older queens produce less queen substance (MSU).
Similar
Swarming · Drone bee · Worker bee · Buckfast bee · Carniolan honey bee · Italian honey bee
Sources
- Penn State Extension: An Introduction to Queen Honey Bee Development (Anton, Grozinger, 2025)
- Metz, Tarpy (2019) Insects: Reproductive senescence in drones of the honey bee
- Mississippi State University Extension: Colony Growth and Seasonal Management of Honey Bees