Bees are capable of making a new queen. In fact, they have a remarkable ability to raise a new queen when the need arises. This process is known as supersedure or emergency queen rearing.
When a queen bee becomes old or weak, or in the event of her death or loss, the colony needs to replace her in order to ensure the continuation of the hive. This is a crucial task for the survival of the honey bee colony, as the queen is responsible for laying eggs and maintaining the population.
The process of queen rearing begins when the worker bees sense that the queen’s pheromone levels are decreasing or absent. This triggers a series of events within the colony to raise a new queen. The bees will select a few young larvae and start feeding them with royal jelly, a special nutritious secretion produced by worker bees. This exclusive diet of royal jelly triggers the development of the larvae into potential queen cells.
The worker bees construct special queen cells, which are larger and more elongated compared to ordinary worker brood cells. These queen cells are typically found on the face of the comb, and they are vertically oriented. The bees build these cells to accommodate the larger size of the developing queen and to provide her with ample space to mature.
Once the queen cells are constructed, the worker bees continue to feed the selected larvae with royal jelly. This rich diet ensures the proper development of the potential queens. After a few days, the larvae spin a cocoon around themselves, pupate, and transform into fully developed queens.
When the new queens are about to emerge from their cells, a unique phenomenon takes place. The first queen to emerge will often kill her rival queens still in their cells. This act of aggression ensures that the emerging queen will have no competition for the throne and increases her chances of becoming the sole queen of the colony.
Once the new queen has eliminated her rivals, she goes on her mating flight. During this flight, she mates with multiple drones from other colonies to ensure genetic diversity within the hive. The successful mating allows the queen to store sperm in her spermatheca, which she will use to fertilize eggs for the rest of her life.
After mating, the newly mated queen returns to the colony and assumes her role as the leader. She starts laying eggs, and the worker bees resume their normal activities under her guidance. The colony is once again on track, with a new queen to ensure its survival and growth.
It is important to note that while bees are generally successful in raising a new queen, there can be instances where the process fails. Various factors such as poor weather conditions, lack of mating opportunities, or genetic issues can result in the failure of queen rearing. In such cases, the colony may become queenless and can eventually decline if no intervention is taken.
Bees have the amazing ability to raise a new queen when needed. The worker bees select and nurture a few larvae with royal jelly, which leads to the development of potential queens. The emerging queen eliminates rival queens and goes on a mating flight before returning to the colony as the new leader. While this process is usually successful, there can be instances where it fails, requiring human intervention to ensure the survival of the colony.