How does a bee become queen?

The honeybees , belonging insects to the genus Apis , they are an eusocial species, that is, they belong to the highest level of social organization of all animals.In the hives, inhabited by swarms , they live together castes of bees: the queen, worker bees (females) and drones (males).

But, how does a bee become queen? In this article of Animals and Pets Online we will solve this and many other doubts about the queen bee, discovering, for example, how to differentiate it from the others and how the fight between the queens occurs.We explain everything to you, keep reading!

The birth of the queen bee

Before answering this question, it is essential to know the two different situations that can generate the need for a new queen : the death of the queen bee (or master bee) or the creation of a new swarm for lack of space in the current one, which will go in search of a new hive.

We denominate swarm to a group of bees, usually on the move.Sometimes, a large group of bees leaves the colony with a queen to settle in a new hive, forming swarms of up to 20 meters.

Before the event, the hive is responsible for raising a new queen , since most species of bees would not survive without her.This phenomenon usually appears when the hive becomes too small to house all its individuals, usually in late spring and throughout the summer, when swarm activity reaches its peak.Now that you know the causes of e raising a new queen, we will discover how a bee becomes queen...

Because worker bees do not live long and the survival of a hive depends directly on the queen, When the workers suspect that they will need a new one soon, they select from 3 to 5 larvae that they will place in the so-called "real cells" , some special, large-sized cells.

These larvae will be fed only with royal jelly , which implies:

Large size , with a protruding abdomen.
A longevity markedly superior to that of other members of the same hive, standing between 3 and 5 years, unlike the workers, who usually live a maximum of 5 weeks.
The ability to lay up to 2,000 eggs a day .
Absence of the suction organ.
Different shades, arriving to reach a bronze color ado.

The fight of the queen bees

Once the larvae have been selected, the workers will take care of them scrupulously until they are born.That is when the queen bee fight takes place, which is basically how a bee becomes queen .

In this quest for queen bees there can only be one left: the strongest .It is important that the queen who survives is the most powerful, because she is the one who will transmit her genetic material at more than 2,000 larvae daily for 3 or 5 years.Once the fight to the death is over, the queen bee prepares to be fertilized by the fastest males .Thanks to this method , the hive will enjoy the birth of strong and fast specimens.

How does the queen bee reproduce?

As we have told you, the males chase the female during the "bridal flight" trying to reproduce with her, however, only the fastest males will fertilize her.full of sperm, the queen bee returns to the hive to rest for a few days, before starting with the laying of eggs that will help the growth of the hive.

Where do the bees lay eggs?

The queen, in addition to being the only bee in the colony capable of breeding and laying eggs, has the control to choose if her eggs produce males or females.But, how does it? To give birth to a female bee, the queen will deposit in a cell a fertilized egg by a sperm and, to give birth to a male, you only have to deposit an unfertilized egg.

How to identify the queen bee?

But how is the queen bee? There are some morphological details that can help us know how to recognize a queen bee :

Among all the bees, the queen is usually the largest , except for some species.
Looking at the body, we can observe in the queen a larger and more robust abdomen .
The sting of the queen bee is not serrated, which allows it to sting at will without dying.On the contrary, worker bees have a serrated sting that causes them to remain in the body of their target, inevitably causing their own death.
The extremities of the queen bee, especially the later ones, are usually remarkably large.
When traveling through the hive, the other bees usually let it pass.

Royal jelly and its importance in the queen bee

A group of workers, known as "nursemaids" are primarily responsible for larvae.They secrete royal jelly through their glandular cephalic system, located in their head.it is a whitish substance , with pearly reflections, gelatinous texture, warm lay.All larvae receive royal jelly in its development stage, but the queen is the only one that receives it completely pure, without water or pollen, throughout its life.

Studies have shown that royal jelly has the ability to modify the DNA of bees that feed on it [1] and it is by this reason that the queen bee differs from the workers.For all this, it seems important to point out that royal jelly is another factor that explains how a bee becomes queen, right?

Discover also in Animals and Pets Online what would happen if there were no bees.They are essential for the ecosystem!

If you want to read more articles similar to How does a bee become queen? , do you We recommend that you enter our Curiosities section of the animal world.

References

S.Sua, S.Albertb, S.Chena and B.Zhonga; Molecular cloning and analysis of four cDNAs from the heads of Apis cerana cerana nurse honeybees coding for major royal jelly proteins , Apidologie Volume 36, Number 3, July-September 2005, 389-401 07 July 2005.Available at: https://www.apidologie.org/articles/apido/abs/2005/03/M4084/M4084.html

Bibliography

Â «The blog of Reines d'Abeilles-Vie mort des Reines d'abeillesÂ», Achat de reines d'abeilles, â € Ž 25 novembre 2017
"Des abeilles et des hommes" documentaire suisse.

Comments

How to know what size a mongrel dog will be?

When we talk about a mixed breed dog or mixed breed dog , generally we refer to a dog whose ancestry is unknown and that has typical characteristics of two or more breeds.This is usually the result of a non-selective breeding, but generally fortunate, since a mongrel dog can be exactly as good companion as a dog of a certain breed. Due to numerous factors, although here it is worth highlighting the great genetic variability, there are many advantages of having a mongrel dog and it is important to emphasize this point since unfortunately it is usually grant a lower value to a dog of these characteristics.If you are thinking of adopting a mixed breed dog, you are surely gathering all the necessary information, if you are wondering how to know what size a mongrel dog will be I didn't leave It is to read this article of Animals and Pets Online. Is it possible to know the size of a mongrel dog? Of course, estimating the exact size of a mongrel dog is not an easy task, although ...

Bach flowers for cats

In the last few years we hear frequent talk of Bach flowers, also applied to our Companion animals.There are more and more numerous cases treated with this therapy, as well as veterinary professionals who are trained in this discipline.In this article of Animals and Pets Online we will focus on cats to discover what Bach flowers are, which These are the benefits and uses they can have for our cats.If you've ever heard of these Bach flowers for cats , you're interested in reading! What are Bach flowers? The 38 extracts of flowers and plants discovered by the English doctor Edward Bach in the early twentieth century are called.This doctor chose plants that acted on different conditions that could experience the human beings, such as fear, sadness, anger or hyperactivity.Prepared these plants in the form of dilutions that conserved with alcohol in a dropper to facilitate their use.Various drops were administered directly several times a day or put in the water or even in t...

The most curious courtship rituals in animals

According to natural law, both animals and humans are in constant search for a couple with which to mate in order to reproduce.For this there is a whole process, first, there is the selection of the subject, then the courtship and finally the crossing of the goal. Love is everywhere, even in the animal kingdom. Animals kiss , hug, pamper, feel jealous and even quarrel.In the wild world there are all kinds of couples, depending on the species, there are stable unions, one-time meetings, seasonal or even links for a lifetime. One of the most key part in this process is sexual or bridal courtship.As nothing is free, Male animals should also strive to achieve the attention of their possible female, and for this, they perform multiple and curious rituals where they exhibit in all its galas, abilities and aptitudes.In Animals and Pets Online, as we love animals, we want to show you 5 of the most curious courtship rituals in animals . What is sexual or bridal courtship? Sexual cou...

My dog is obsessed with food

Understanding the origin of dogs can be useful to understand a little better the obsession some have with food.How can we see in "Does the dog descend from the wolf?" From Animals and Pets Online, dogs come from domestication, by humans, of common ancestors with wolves. Most canids, such as wolves and dogs, live in organized societies with a very defined hierarchy, which does not always have to be static.Wolves hunt in groups and higher-ranking individuals eat first, leaving the worst parts of the prey for lesser wolves. This is a Competitive feeding , that is, they eat ravenously when there are other individuals present.This could help clarify the cause of our pet not allowing any opportunity to obtain food, and trying to eat as quickly as possible possible, to prevent someone from taking away the food. Some diseases can explain this obsession with food in dogs. Some examples s tend to eat more for poor production of substances necessary for the digestion of fo...

10 reasons to walk your dog

The dog is an animal that needs to walk 2 to 3 times a day, But do you know why that is so? In this article of Animals and Pets Online we will explain why it is so important to walk with your dog, why the garden does not replace the walk and many other things that, perhaps you do not know. Do not forget This is a very important habit that you must carry out on a daily basis.Not doing so can be very harmful for your pet, do not forget it.Keep reading and discover 10 reasons to walk with your dog . 1.They must make their needs The first reason, and the most important , to take a dog for a walk, is to allow him to do his needs until he is satisfied. Apart from puppies that are not yet able to go outside or who are learning to urinate, it is very negative to allow our dog to urinate and defecate at home.In addition to causing a bad smell, we will be creating an unhealthy environment important that can lead to serious health problems in dogs and humans. 2.It allows them to ...

Because you fazem cats so much barulho quando cruzam

Everybody or world that widows do crossing cats knows how gracious they are fazem.It's true that you have come to the logo when cats are not involved, because they emit characteristic features to take care of two males .You responds also commended and assim starts court. Mase during a copula that you are shouting more obvious and scandalous.Muitas pessoas wondered because you cats fazem so much barulho quando cruzam ? Or PeritoAnimal criou this article to answer precisely that question. How do cats reproduce? As femeas atingem to sexual maturity between 5 and 9 months of going.Os males atingem um pouco more late, between 9 and 12 months. It is quite evident when As cats, there are no pois, for German two characteristic myriads, these are very many other aspects of how it is to roll, raise, etc. As cats temper a seasoned polyester reproductive cycle, in conditions normais.Ou seja, they will be reproduced most in some times of the year, once or a number of hours of lump u...

Types of herbivorous reptiles

There are many reptile fans who would like to start adopting and possess some very easy to maintain .However, most of the usual reptiles in pet stores have a common factor that puts these first time fans behind: almost all reptiles for adoption are insectivorous. This displeases these fans for various reasons.One very important thing is that insects cause them to repeat.Another factor to keep in mind is that incessant trips to the store must be made to provide themselves with live food, which often escapes and colonize the house.Crickets escaped inside a home can plunge their inhabitants into an insomniac despair.It is also not pleasant for many people to make a colony of crickets at home. If you are any of these fans, continues reading this p ost as Animals and Pets Online will tell you the different types of herbivorous reptiles. Land turtles Without a doubt, the most frequent herbivorous pet reptiles are the land turtles .In addition, they are also the easiest to maintain ...

How to make homemade insect repellent

insects are a nuisance to air dinners Free and the hot summer nights with the windows open, where the hours of sleep can become a torture due to the annoying buzz of the mosquitoes .We can certainly get repellent in the supermarket for these situations, without However, aerosol repellents contain toxins that can damage the respiratory tract and irritate the skin, but there are products at your fingertips that, being totally natural , you can use on all skin types, and even in allergy sufferers.You will also be able to repel bugs without damaging the environment.In a How we teach you how to make homemade insect repellent . Steps to follow: 1 First, you can create your own natural repellent using a sprayer.Add 118 ml to 147 ml of witch hazel and four or five drops of the essential oils of citronella , eucalyptus and lavender .Then shake it to mix all the components well and spray it on your skin to prevent insects from getting close to you At the end, wash your hands a...

Why is my cat very aggressive with other cats?

Did you know that aggressiveness Is it one of the most frequent problems in cats? Although obviously not for that reason we must fall into the error of associating cats with aggressiveness, since they are really domestic animals whose behavior is usually very calm.However, a cat is not a dog and therefore does not present the same level of sociability.A cat does not have to accept another cat, on many occasions, it does not even accept the presence of members of the human family in the corners that he considers to be his exclusive domain. These characteristics make up the genuine character of felines, which can sometimes become problematic.In this article of Animals and Pets Online we explain why your cat is very aggressive with other cats and how to act. Why aggression among cats? Have you decided to host more than one cat at home? This can be a good option, since each one will benefit from the presence of the other but, it also increases the risk that cats can develop aggr...

Colicos in horses - Symptoms and treatment

The equine colic is the first cause of mortality in horses and many horse owners have to face it once since it is the most frequent disease of the adult horse.Colic syndrome is defined as a abdominal pain of varied origins . The horse is a hypersensitive animal and the external manifestations of the colic can be impressive.Some specificities of the horse can complicate the situation: a horse cannot vomit, so that the food that has reached the stomach is forced to follow its path in the digestive tract.In addition, certain parasites such as strongils cause a narrowing of the arteries of the digestive system, which can make the condition worse. Fortunately less than 10% of horses with colic require surgery.case colic syndrome is a of the most important equine pathologies for their severity and frequency, in this article of Animals and Pets Online we will tell you everything you need to know about the colic in horses . Symptoms of colic on the horse Colic or colic syndrome is...

Animals and Pets Online

Search This Blog