• Home
  • Mama’s Bio
  • Mama’s Homestead
  • Contact Me
  • Disclosure Policy
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Mama’s Homestead

~Our Simple Life~

  • Homesteading
  • Homegrown
  • Homemade
  • Homekeeping
  • Beekeeping
  • Classes On My Homestead
    • Homesteading Classes
    • Beekeeping Classes
    • Homemaking Classes
    • Exploring the Outdoors Classes
Bee-havior, Beekeeping, Beekeeping with Kids, Homesteading

Honey Bee Jobs: Her Royal Highness, the Queen

April 15, 2014

Queen bee in queen cage

Honey Bee Jobs: Queen Bee

Pictured: Queen in queen cage with her attendees 

We call the queen “Her Royal Highness” because, frankly, she is spoiled. We could call her a princess, but she does have a lot of responsibilities. As for honey bee jobs, she doesn’t really have many, but her main job is the most important. Without her, there would be no hive.

 There is a lot of fun stuff to learn about the queen bee of the hive, so I gave her her very own post. 

The queen is a female (of course) and there is only one in a hive. Her body is long and tapered, larger than that of a worker, and varies in color (depending on the breed).  She is fed, groomed, and completely taken care of by the worker bees (that’s the spoiled part). Shortly after hatching, she leaves the hive only to mate with several drones, then returns to the hive to stay for the rest of her life. Her big responsibility is laying eggs and she does this quite well.  The queen bee will lay 1,000 to 3,000 eggs per day. Considering she lives to be 3-5 years old, that’s a lot of eggs!

When a hive gets too crowded (future swarm warning), a queen dies, or the rest of the hive senses she is getting too old or weak, they will rear a new queen to take her place. This is the only time more than one queen will occupy the same hive.

To rear a new queen, the workers will begin to feed some existing brood (the stage of development after the egg) royal jelly. Royal jelly is a special, highly nutritious food that aids in the development of  the female bee. The worker bee is only fed royal jelly for a few days during their development. The growing queen, however, enjoys this treat the entire time she is growing. Royal jelly is made up of protein-packed pollen and carbohydrate-rich honey mixed with enzymes (the key ingredient) they produce in special glands.  This “royal food” will cause the larva to mature into a queen with fully formed reproductive organs and hormone/pheromone producing glands. She will develop from an egg to an adult in just 16 days.

Since the queen is extra long, the workers will build her cell out longer than the rest of the hive cells. It  is about the same size, shape, and texture of a peanut shell (best description I know) and is usually placed to the side or bottom of the hive frame. They protrude out from the hive and are very easy to spot.  

To give the hive the best chance of survival, the workers will raise more than one queen bee at a time. As the new queens emerge from their cells, the first one will start to make a noise we call “piping.” This noise warns the other queens she is there and there will be a battle for the thrown. The hatched queens will find each other and battle it out, winner takes all. If a new queen finds another queen cell, that has not yet hatched, she will sting the cell to kill the competing queen before she hatches (brutal, I know).

If a new queen has already established her reign (meaning she has been accepted by the worker bees as their queen) when another queen emerges, the workers will “ball” her, a technique that is frequently used to get rid of predators. This will suffocate her queen so she cannot kill their new queen. It’s all about timing.

Here is a short video of a piping queen:

Piping Queen

beekeeping beekeeping with kids honeybees queen bees
by Nelle 
2 Comments

About Nelle

I am Nelle. I grew up in rural, small town, Ohio. When I was young, I learned a lot about homesteading from my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, 4-H, FFA, and others around me. Now, I’m all grown up, have 6 children of my own, and plan to teach them everything I know. Here on Mama’s Homestead, we talk and write about homesteading, homeschooling, and kidsteading (homesteading with kids). We teach our kids about survival, self-sufficiency, gardening (vegetable, herb, flower), orchard, beekeeping, home keeping, soap making, harvesting, cooking, food preservation, livestock, nature, crafts, homesteading tools and wares, and more… Welcome to my homestead…come and learn with us!

View all posts by Nelle

Related Posts

  • How to Light a Bee SmokerHow to Light a Bee Smoker
  • Beekeeping EquipmentBeekeeping Equipment and Uses
  • Bee jobsHoney Bee Jobs: Workers and Drones
  • Beekeeping with KidsBeekeeping with Kids
previous article: Honey Bee Jobs: Workers and Drones
next article: Basic Sewing Kit and Beyond

Leave Your Comments Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Welcome to my homestead!

Hello, I'm Nelle Weaver!
I grew up on a small farm in Ohio and experienced various aspects of homesteading. I learned many skills from my grandparents and parents and from being involved in 4-H and FFA.  
My husband and I write about our simple life here on Mama's Homestead and teach classes on our homestead in central Ohio, where we raise goats, chickens, and rabbits, have an orchard, garden, keep bees, and much more. Read More…

Search Mama’s Homestead:

Connect With Me!

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Shop Amazon…

Recent Posts:

  • Mango Fruit Leather
    Mango Fruit Leather

    Mango fruit leather has turned out to be one of my kids' favorites. The sugar is totally optional, but it makes it much sweeter and cuts the tartness. Read more →

  • Lemon Lime Soda Jelly
    Lemon Lime Soda Jelly

    This Lemon Lime Soda Jelly is delicious. I added a fresh lemon and a fresh l fresh lime to the mix to give it a rich, tangy flavor. It will make you pucker, a little. Read more →

  • Cream Soda Jelly
    Cream Soda Jelly

    Cream soda...do you like yours red or amber colored? I chose the amber colored version for my cream soda jelly. I like the flavor better. Plus, I added a teaspoon of vanilla, just for added vanilla goodness. Read more →

  • Homestead Beef Jerky
    Homestead Beef Jerky

    This beef jerky recipe has been used in our family for many years. I love the flavor. It tastes like it was dried over a wood fire. We have also used this recipe for venison. Read more →

  • Grape Soda Jelly
    Grape Soda Jelly

    Up next, Grape Soda Jelly. I think this would probably be my sister's favorite soda. She loves all things purple. This soda jelly, surprisingly tastes a lot like regular grape jelly you would buy at the grocery store. Read more →

  • Orange Soda Jelly
    Orange Soda Jelly

    I remember growing up, this was one of my favorite flavors of soda, plus orange was my favorite color. I added orange juice to my orange soda jelly recipe to give it a tiny bit of healthfulness and add to the orange flavor. Read more →

  • Homemade Noodles
    Homemade Noodles

    When I was growing up, my mom made homemade noodles and cook them in homemade chicken broth. This was such a tasty treat. The store bought kind do not even come close. Read more →

Mama’s Homestead Posts

  • Mango Fruit Leather December 2, 2014
  • Lemon Lime Soda Jelly November 18, 2014
  • Cream Soda Jelly November 17, 2014
  • Homestead Beef Jerky November 17, 2014
  • Grape Soda Jelly November 12, 2014
  • Orange Soda Jelly November 12, 2014
  • Homemade Noodles November 12, 2014

Mama’s Homestead Archives

Unable to communicate with Instagram.

Follow Me @mamashomestead

Copyright © 2023 · Prima Donna theme by Georgia Lou Studios