For centuries, humans have been intrigued by the intricate social structure of bee colonies. Ancient scholars hypothesized that the largest bee in the hive held a leadership role. However, their understanding was coloured by societal biases, leading them to assume that these bees were kings—despite the fact that they were female. In reality, there is no King bee within the hive. Instead, we have a Queen bee.
In 1609, naturalist and apiarist Charles Butler published The Feminine Monarchie (The history of Bees), in which he boldly replaced “king” bees with “queen” bees, forever altering our understanding of honeybee colonies.
The queen bee is the heart and soul of the colony. She is the largest bee, lives the longest, and has a critical role: egg laying. She can lay over 1000 eggs per day! Without a queen, the colony cannot sustain itself. Her primary function is to ensure the colony’s continuity by laying eggs.
Male bees are Drones – not king bees!
While male honey bees, known as drones, do exist, their purpose is singular: mating with a virgin queen. Once they fulfill this duty, their role ends. They die shortly after mating, leaving behind a legacy of fertilized eggs. However, drones do not mate with queens from their own colonies, as this would lead to inbreeding and weakening of genetic diversity. Mating happens out of the hive in so called drone congregation areas, where virgin queens fly to get mated. Interestingly a queen only mates during the first few weeks of her life. During her mating flight she mates with multiple drones. The queen then stores their sperm, which she uses to fertilize eggs throughout her life, which can be several years. Drones die after mating, so you can say that a lucky drone is a dead drone!
Is the Queen the Boss?
Contrary to popular belief, the Queen Bee is not the boss of the colony. The queen bee isn’t a solitary ruler; honey bee colonies operate like democracies, making collective decisions. They don’t need a king or queen to rule over them. In fact, bees can even depose their queen if it benefits the colony. However the Queen is the mother of all bees in the colony and is treated very well. She is surrounded by a court of attendants—worker bees that cater to her every need. These attendants groom her, feed her, and maintain the hive. Their loyalty ensures the queen’s well-being, which in turn ensures the survival of the colony.
The King is dead! Long live the queen!
Hanna Bäckmo
Hanna Bäckmo is an award-winning beekeeper, entrepreneur, hobby gardener and internationally published writer. Originally from a small island in Sweden, she now lives in East Cork with her son, two dogs, a flock of rescue chickens and lots of bees. Hanna is the founder of Hanna’s Bees, producing a unique range of natural and sustainable honey, propolis, and beeswax products sold in Ireland’s leading Gift & Artisan food stores and select US outlets. With 70 colonies of Native Irish honeybees, she is a passionate bee-advocate and educator and is an Ambassador for the Native Irish Honeybee.
Is There a King Bee?
For centuries, humans have been intrigued by the intricate social structure of bee colonies. Ancient scholars hypothesized that the largest bee in the hive held a leadership role. However, their understanding was coloured by societal biases, leading them to assume that these bees were kings—despite the fact that they were female. In reality, there is no King bee within the hive. Instead, we have a Queen bee.
In 1609, naturalist and apiarist Charles Butler published The Feminine Monarchie (The history of Bees), in which he boldly replaced “king” bees with “queen” bees, forever altering our understanding of honeybee colonies.
The queen bee is the heart and soul of the colony. She is the largest bee, lives the longest, and has a critical role: egg laying. She can lay over 1000 eggs per day! Without a queen, the colony cannot sustain itself. Her primary function is to ensure the colony’s continuity by laying eggs.
Male bees are Drones – not king bees!
While male honey bees, known as drones, do exist, their purpose is singular: mating with a virgin queen. Once they fulfill this duty, their role ends. They die shortly after mating, leaving behind a legacy of fertilized eggs. However, drones do not mate with queens from their own colonies, as this would lead to inbreeding and weakening of genetic diversity. Mating happens out of the hive in so called drone congregation areas, where virgin queens fly to get mated. Interestingly a queen only mates during the first few weeks of her life. During her mating flight she mates with multiple drones. The queen then stores their sperm, which she uses to fertilize eggs throughout her life, which can be several years. Drones die after mating, so you can say that a lucky drone is a dead drone!
Is the Queen the Boss?
Contrary to popular belief, the Queen Bee is not the boss of the colony. The queen bee isn’t a solitary ruler; honey bee colonies operate like democracies, making collective decisions. They don’t need a king or queen to rule over them. In fact, bees can even depose their queen if it benefits the colony. However the Queen is the mother of all bees in the colony and is treated very well. She is surrounded by a court of attendants—worker bees that cater to her every need. These attendants groom her, feed her, and maintain the hive. Their loyalty ensures the queen’s well-being, which in turn ensures the survival of the colony.
The King is dead! Long live the queen!
Hanna Bäckmo
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