When you want to raise honeybees, it can be challenging. In one moment, your colony is looking good, and if a few days’ time you can be trying to save your hive from collapse. There are several different kinds of diseases that affect a hive and cause bees to start dying. And when the queen dies the hive will become even weaker.
In this article, we are going to discuss what happens when a queen dies and how it affects the colony. We will start by briefly explaining the queen’s role in the hive and some of the common reasons for death. In addition, we will go over how the colony will behave after the queen has died.
Let’s dive right it shall we?
What Is the role of the queen bee?
The queen is vital to the survival of the hive and holds a very important task of the hive. Many have the misconception that the queen has all of this power and it could not be further from the truth. The queen holds a job just like every other bee in the colony. And Every bee’s job is important.
The queen lives for around five years or so, and her most important responsibility is to lay eggs. As a matter of fact, a queen can lay up to 1,500 eggs per day! Yes, the queen has a very important job. But as we mentioned earlier the queen has no power or control. The truth is the queen is controlled by the worker bees.
They actually have the power to decide to end the queen’s life and replace her by raising a new queen whenever they see fit. Often times beekeepers will replace the queen on a yearly basis to keep the colony thriving.
What can cause a queen bee to die?
When a queen dies the colony becomes unhinged, chaotic, and displays leaderless behavior. Afterall the queen is the only female who can lay eggs. She has the ability to send out chemical signals to stop female worker bees from being able to lay eggs while she is alive. Consequently, after the queen dies, these chemicals wear off. This allows worker bees to lay eggs but the efficiency of the hive collapses because worker bees should be working not laying eggs.
The beauty of instinct and mother nature shines bright during this short-term chaos and guides the worker bees into raising a new queen.
The colony must find a new queen
Diseases are the number one reason for the death of a queen. There are multiple diseases that can affect a hive but one major common one is foulbrood. Another reason for death of a queen can be other pests like wax moths and hive beetles.
When the queen dies the worker bees get to work, looking for a new queen to raise and control. They often search for eggs less than three days old, then move these eggs to a special structure within the hive. Once the eggs become fertilized it only takes three days to hatch.
Soon after that, the larvae are fed royal jelly. Later, in about eight days the queen bees are ready to take mating flights. This is when mating with drones (male bees). Afterwards they begin to kill off virgin queens. The last queen takes full control of the duties of laying eggs for the hive.
What happens if the colony is unsuccessful raising a new queen?
In the case that the worker bees cannot raise a new queen after a queen dies the colony will not be able to maintain structure or survival for too much longer. Because of the queen’s death, the worker bees (female bees) are affected in a negative way. They become aggressive and agitated. Though worker bees can lay eggs, they will not be fertilized. This means they can only lay male bees, also known as drones. Why is this important?
The fact is drones don’t work; their sole purpose is to mate with the queen. And if there is no queen the productivity of the worker bees will plummet quickly. No fertilized eggs mean no worker bees and with no worker bees, the colony will not survive.
The best way to save your colony will be to introduce a new queen to the colony from the outside. Remember earlier we mentioned how beekeepers will introduce a new queen to keep the colony thriving? Well, this is the same thing, it’s just done to prevent swarming or deterioration of the colony because the queen dies.
In Summary
When a queen dies the colony will suffer, there will be no structure, and the productivity of the hive will collapse because there are no new worker bees being born. Instinct kicks in and the worker bees do their best to raise a new queen but sometimes they fall short and no queen is raised. This also causes a deterioration of the hive.
Good beekeepers pay attention to the behavior of the hive and can notice if a queen is sick and needs to be replaced. It’s up to you to be attentive and aware of how your hive is doing. Disease can strike the hive in a short amount of time, changing the dynamic of a healthy hive overnight.
Lake Honey is a resource available for you to use if you have any questions about beekeeping and also gaining access to delicious and healthy honey. When a queen dies it’s important you know what your options are and where to turn form guidance.
Lake Honey welcomes you to reach out so we can help. Call (940) 277-BEES