A queen bee’s presence maintains the colony’s harmony and productivity. But what happens when a beehive loses its queen?
This scenario presents challenges that beekeepers must address promptly to restore balance to the hive.
Queenless Chaos
The loss of a queen can create turmoil within the hive. The colony’s social structure suffers. Fewer pheromones mean worker bees may become disorganized and less productive. With no order in the hive, brood production decreases, and no new eggs are laid.
The Rise of Laying Workers
Worker bees may start laying eggs in a queenless hive, which only develop into drones since they can’t mate. The drone surge overwhelms the hive and creates a shortage of worker bees for essential tasks, threatening the colony’s survival.
Apiarists must swoop into action at the first notice of declining bee populations. The beekeeper can introduce a new queen or merge the hive with a stronger colony to restore balance.
Vulnerability to Predators
Hives without a queen become vulnerable to predators. Their defense weakens, and guard bees become disorganized. It’s easier for threats like wasps and robbing honeybees to invade. Additionally, a declining workforce hampers the hive’s ability to repair itself, creating more entry points for invaders.
The Emergence of Emergency Queens
Fortunately, the colony can resolve the problem of losing a queen quickly by selecting new larvae to potentially replace the old queen. The worker bees feed the larvae royal jelly to further their development.
However, this process proves competitive, and only one larva emerges victorious. The new queen takes over the reign of the hive, restoring order and productivity.
Understanding what happens when a beehive loses its queen guides beekeepers in making informed decisions to protect their hives.
Create Peace in the Colony With a Queen From The B Farm
If you need a new queen, consider purchasing queen bees for sale online from The B Farm. Their mission supports beekeepers of all skill levels by providing access to bees ideal for starting an apiary.
The B Farm’s customer service team offers valuable advice to newcomers, guiding them through buying their first queen bee and becoming a reliable source for experienced beekeepers. Let’s create a hive built for a queen bee!