![]() ![]() Read on to find out how bumblebees differ from honeybees.īumblebees and honeybees both live in colonies. Many people assume that the two live very similarly or that what is true of honey bees is also true of bumblebees, but they have some fascinating differences. She must be well-mated by several drone bees to become a good layer for the hive.Īnd lastly, the overall health and strength of the colony has a major effect on the production of any queen regardless of size.Honeybees and bumblebees are the two most well-known bee species. Then, we must consider her period of mating. It starts with her genetic makeup (disease resistance etc.). Many factors go into evaluating the quality of a queen. Given a few weeks to mature and begin laying in the hive, the small lady’s abdomen starts to plump up.Įven with queen cells, occasionally the small cells produce a great queen. Some freshly mated queens seem very small. ![]() Initial size is not always a true indicator of quality. We would hope a large size means that she was well fed during development and well mated.īut, you can’t judge that new queen bee you just purchased on looks alone. Size can matter in determining the quality of the primary egg layer. They are useful to place in a new hive split too. It is a good way to dabble in raising queen bees. Upon finding a lot of swarm cells in a colony, beekeepers sometimes harvest a few extras. These new adults have the best chance of being healthy and strong. This colony with a booming population has many young nurse bees to produce food for developing bees or brood. Why is the queen bee size and quality often better during swarm season? Swarming often occurs in Spring when the colony has ample food resources. She kills her rivals and after mating becomes the new mother for the colony. Queen cells are left behind containing developing virgins.Īmong many swarm cells, hopefully the strongest one emerges first. ![]() In most swarming situations the old queen leaves with the swarm to start a new home in a different location. The bees know they need to plan for a replacement- so many queen cells are constructed. One of the best ways to get a large, productive replacement queen is during the time of honey bee swarming. They may not have very young larva (which make the best queens) in an emergency situation. The colony is having to use the resources available. If she has died due to old age or disease, the hive is in an emergency situation to replace her.Įmergency queens can be of excellent quality but there is also a bigger risk of producing a smaller or inferior replacement. When a colony is in need of a new queen, preparations get underway quickly. The long developing queen pupa would not fit in a regular honeycomb brood cell. How Queen Cell Size May Predict Qualityīecause of the large size of the queen bee, she must be reared in special cells. If her ability to lay eggs drops too low, the colony will begin plans to replace her. Once the fertile queen bee begins egg laying, she will continue until she dies or her performance lags. This short period of mating means that she must have room inside her body to store sperm. The queen mates for a short time during her youth. She can average over 1000 eggs a day during peak season, that’s a lot of bee eggs!Īlso, inside her abdomen is the “ spermatheca”, this special organ stores semen from her mating flights. A pair of large ovaries hold all of the eggs that she will ever lay. Inside the long abdomen, we find her reproductive organs. She can do a job that no other colony member can – she can lay fertilized eggs that develop into female bees. Alas, our queen honey bee is not a forager.īut, she has a very important function. ![]() It sure seems that she would be a great worker capable of bringing in lots of nectar and pollen for the family. ![]()
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