How Is the Queen Bee Chosen from the Colony?
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Egg Stage
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Although the existing queen bee lays all of the eggs, it is the workers who decide when it is time to raise a replacement queen. They may decide to raise new queens because the hive has become crowded. In this case, many of the worker bees will leave with the old queen and found a new colony, a process called swarming. Or the existing queen may be old or failing. When the workers decide that it is time to start raising new queens, they construct special breeding cells called queen cups. The queen lays fertilized (female) eggs into these special cells.
Larval Stage
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The eggs that hatch into queen-bee larvae are identical to the eggs that hatch into worker-bee larvae. In fact, the only difference between queen-bee larvae and worker-bee larvae is that the queen-bee larvae are fed a diet that consists only of royal jelly. Queen-bee larvae are fed this diet for approximately five days after hatching, while the nurse bees extend the queen cup.
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Pupal Stage
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When it is time for a queen-bee larva to pupate, the nurse bees seal her cell with wax. The queen stays in the cell for seven and a half to eight days, changing from a white, wormlike larvae to a fully mature, winged bee. The diet of royal jelly helps the queen bee develop the special characteristics that set her apart from worker bees, including a larger abdomen and a smooth stinger that she can use to sting again and again.
What Happens after a Queen Bee Hatches?
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Usually, several queen-bee larvae are raised at the same time. What happens after a new queen bee (called a virgin queen) hatches depends on what is going on in the hive at the time. If the virgin queen has been raised to replace a failing or dead queen and the hive is not swarming, she will hunt down the pupating queens that are still sleeping in their queen cups and kill them. Then, if the old queen is still around, she may fight her to the death. Or, the hive may kill the old queen by smothering her, packing their bodies around her until she overheats. However, if the hive is swarming, worker bees keep the new queens from killing each other or the existing queen. The existing queen then sets up a new colony with some of the workers. If there are enough workers to create additional swarms, one or more of the new queens will go with each swarm. Once swarming is complete, however, if there is more than one queen bee in a colony, the queens will fight to the death. Then, the surviving queen mates and begins laying eggs for the colony.
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