Lara Rose, M. Aster, and Bob Allen
We had a nice afternoon visiting Bob and Judy Allen who took the time to teach me, my 3 kids and 2 of their friends about bees. Best yet, we got to tour inside the hive.
All the ruckus of five kids, their dog barking and running about, and me in awe with the sweet touches Judy had in her garden, did not bother the bees one bit. Makes me want bees sooner than later.
There’s a lot to be learned about bees. Here’s what we found out about the queen bee.
- The queen bee is fertilized in flight; the only time she is out of the hive.
- During this time, she will be fertilized by 10 – 15 drones.
- In a given day, a queen can lay her weight in eggs.
- The queen is fed by her workers. She is so busy laying eggs, she doesn’t have the time or energy to eat herself.
- In one day, a queen will lay one egg per minute, day and night, 24 hours a day, or about 200,000 eggs a year.
- A queen can live up to 2 years while her workers will only live for about 6 weeks.
There is only one queen in a hive. She is much bigger than the other bees with a prolonged abdomen.
It’s not easy being queen…once her workers notice a slowing in her egg-laying pace, they will choose a recently laid egg to become the next queen.
Thank you Bob and Judy!
More bee facts
Book of Six © Six Facts About Worker Bees
Copy and photos by Helen Yoest
Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening With Confidence Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her Facebook page, the Gardening With Confidence fan page. Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum.
