The queen bee is the heart of the hive, the mother of all bees, and is essential for the survival and productivity of the colony. Recognizing it and understanding its role allows beekeepers to manage hives effectively. In this article, we will explore how the queen bee is born, its life cycle, egg-laying, and answer common questions such as how long does a queen bee live, how many days after birth does the queen bee mate, and what does the queen bee do.

🐝 Queen Bee: How to Recognize It

Identifying the queen bee inside the hive is essential for every beekeeper. The fertile queen stands out from the other bees due to her larger size, especially her elongated abdomen, which extends beyond her wings. Additionally, she does not have modified hind legs for pollen collection like worker bees.

The nurse bees take care of the queen, who is constantly fed with royal jelly, the essential food for her development and longevity. Throughout her life, the queen exclusively focuses on laying eggs, ensuring the colony's growth.

🐝 Queen Bee Size

The queen bee’s size is larger than that of a worker bee:

• Length: about 18-22 mm, compared to 12-15 mm for worker bees.
• Weight: varies between 200 and 280 mg.

Size may slightly vary depending on the breed. For example, the Carniolan bee has a queen with slightly different characteristics compared to the Ligustica, with a slimmer body and darker colors.

🐝 Queen Bee Life Cycle: How Is the Queen Bee Born?

The birth of the queen bee takes place inside the hive in royal cells, which are larger than normal hexagonal cells where workers and drones develop.

The developmental stages of the queen bee are:

1. Queen bee eggs: The old queen lays eggs in special royal cells.
2. First three days: After three days, larvae hatch from the eggs and are exclusively fed with royal jelly.
3. After three days: Nutrition continues, stimulating the rapid growth of the future queen.
4. Becoming fertilized: Around day 15-16, the young queen emerges from the royal cell and, if necessary, fights with other young queens for dominance of the hive.

After birth, queens may perform the mating flight.

🐝 How Many Days After Birth Does the Queen Bee Mate?

The queen bee leaves for her mating flight around the 5th-7th day after birth. During this flight, she mates with multiple drones in the air, storing sperm that she will use to lay eggs for the rest of her life. If she fails to become fertilized, she cannot produce worker bees and will become a "false queen," endangering the colony.

🐝 What Does the Queen Bee Do?

The queen bee can live for several years, but her primary function is egg-laying. Under optimal conditions, she can lay up to 2,000 eggs per day, ensuring the colony's growth.

Her main activities include:

• Laying eggs: essential for the colony’s survival.
• Leading the swarm: During swarming, the queen may leave the hive with part of the colony to establish a new one.
• Communicating with the bees: She releases pheromones that regulate colony organization.

🐝 How Long Does a Queen Bee Live?

Under ideal conditions, a queen can live between 3 and 5 years, much longer than workers, who live only a few weeks in summer and a few months in winter. However, after the first few years, her ability to lay eggs decreases, and she is often replaced by a new queen raised by the colony.

🐝 Queen Bee Breeding

Queen bee breeding is essential to ensure the genetic quality and productivity of colonies. Apicoltura Laterza selects and sells fertile queens of Ligustica and Carniolan breeds, certified and suitable for honey production and new colony formation.

Our queens are selected using advanced methods to guarantee:

• High resistance to diseases.
• Excellent adaptability to the environment.
• Strong egg-laying ability.

🐝 Queen Bee for Sale: Where to Buy?

If you are a beekeeper looking for queen bee for sale, Apicoltura Laterza offers fertile queens ready to be introduced into your hives. You can choose from:

• Ligustica queens: docile, productive, and ideal for the Italian climate.
• Carniolan queens: cold-resistant with excellent spring development.

🐝 Conclusion

The queen bee is the heart of the colony, and managing her correctly is essential for successful beekeeping. Understanding the life cycle, egg-laying process, and queen bee breeding dynamics can improve the productivity and health of your hive.

Trust Apicoltura Laterza for high-quality, certified queen bees with safe shipping and expert selection. Contact us for more information and buy your queen bee today!