The Queen
www.nature.com
The queen bee's job is to produce
more bees and perpetuate the species. A virgin, or unmated, queen bee flies a
good distance from the hive to avoid inbreeding, and mates with 15 to 20
drones. The mated queen returns to the hive where she begins to lay eggs all
day long, often producing between 1200 to 1600 per day. Queen are cared for by
a retinue of worker bees, called her court, who take care of her every need,
and encourage her constant propagation. There is only one queen bee in a hive,
except in times of swarming or succession. Queens live an average of two to
three years, although they've been know to live up to five years. However
beekeepers often kill and replace them annually to ensure optimal egg
production.
Queens can be identified by their large, extended abdomens.
Queens can be identified by their large, extended abdomens.
No comments:
Post a Comment