Queen bees and worker bees are the most important and beneficial insects to have in your garden or orchard. They have a job in the natural world that no other insect, except perhaps the mason bee, can do with unmatched efficiency and persistence. Worker bees seek out the nectar in the flowers and in doing so spread pollen, the essential ingredient for the production of fruit, seeds and berries from flower to flower. Queen bees keep producing more worker bees at an astonishing rate, ensuring the life of the hive and the natural world itself.
In the bee keeping world, females rule. Those hard working or so-called worker bees you see busily gathering nectar from your flowers are females. In the hive, the queen bee is a female. The only male bees are called drones and their only purpose is to mate with the queen bee for reproduction. The hive-keeping and nurturing of bee larva is tirelessly looked after by female worker bees, as well.
The queen bee is the reproductive engine of the hive. Workers and drones are not capable of laying the eggs that will eventually develop into new worker bees, although an occasional replacement queen will be allowed to grow to maturity. Queen bees will lay between 1,000 to 2,000 eggs a day. Laying millions of eggs over a life time sounds like a daunting task, but queen bees are hardy creatures, living for 2 3 years, which is old age in bee world. Her male counter part, the drone, only lives for a couple of weeks and not through the winter.
Spring is the most active reproductive season of the year and this is when the queen is most actively mating. A newly matured queen bee will leave the hive for mating purposes that will endure for a few days, after which she will return to the hive to begin to fulfill her lifetime responsibility of laying eggs. Swarming, or the natural division of the hive between two queens, is a natural process that reduces the number of worker bees in the bee hive population. Bee Keepers try to discourage swarming in order to sustain the production of the bee hive.
Queens are larger than workers or drones in appearance, with a larger abdomen and shorter wings. She lacks the distinctive coloration of the other bees as well. Queens do have a stinger, which she uses to eradicate any other queen that may hatch in the hive. Unlike worker bees, queens do not have pollen baskets on her hind legs or wax producing glands. Her sole role is reproduction and these features are unnecessary for this purpose. Once the queen begins laying eggs she will remain inside the hive fulfilling her responsibility for the rest of her life.
The familiar worker bees are smaller than the queen or the drones. They are active collecting pollen and nectar during the summer months, living only four to five weeks over the summer. They will live longer during the autumn when there isn't such a demand for fresh nectar in the hive. While the queen bee is the reproductive engine of the hive, the worker bees are the movers and the shakers in bee world. These miniature working wonders tirelessly forage for food, care for the next generation, produce the all-important honey, and handle just about every other responsibility not associated with reproduction.
A corporate job description for a worker bee might look like this (in no particular order):
A fully-qualified worker bee will: 1. Be a proficient housekeeper. 2. Feed and nurse the children. 3. Make sure that the children's doors are closed and sealed. 4. Manufacture wax. 5. Pack and store supplies. 6. Receive and process food for everyone. 7. Perform security duties in a military manner when necessary. 8. Collect nectar, water, pollen, or propolis from within a five-mile radius of the hive. 9. Perform maintenance and repair when necessary. 10. Attend to the needs of the Queen when called upon to do so. 11. Other duties as may be required from time-to-time.
Of course, worker bees do not do all these things continuously over their short life span. Rather, they perform them as they mature and complete their life cycle. Nor do workers do everything they are able to do. They are more like on-demand, albeit short-lived, handypersons. Doing what is necessary within their capability when called upon. Their worker's bodies, especially their wings, suffer greatly from the unceasing demands of their job. When they are no longer able to fly due the wear on their wings, their lives will shortly end as they do not store energy in their bodies.
Honey bees are magnificent creatures that are essential for the propagation and production of all forms of plant life. Without them, humans and every other animal that depends upon plants for their fruit and seed would face starvation. Although the world of bees appears simple with its queen, drones and workers, the inner workings of the hive is an interesting study that will delight and amaze everyone.
Bees are susceptible to poisoning from pesticides, invasion by ants, bears and skunks, and wax moths. Recently, many bee hives have suffered from Colony Collapse Disorder, which is believed to be the result of an invading virus. The worker bees are the first line of defense against the major predators and invaders, but they have no defense against a virus. In this case, the responsibility for protection of the hives falls upon human bee keepers which should always observe healthy hive management practices.