Queen Bee Attendants
The queen bee: the heart of the hive, the egg-laying extraordinaire. But did you know the queen doesn’t do it all alone? She has a dedicated entourage, a royal court of sorts, constantly buzzing around her – her attendants.
These attendant bees, all female worker bees, play a crucial role in keeping the queen happy and healthy, ensuring the hive thrives. Let’s delve into the fascinating world of these busybodies!
Who are the Attendants?
Attendants are young worker bees, typically between 3 and 12 days old. At this stage in their development, their glands responsible for wax production and brood feeding aren’t fully functional. So, they take on the vital task of caring for the queen.
What do Attendants Do?
Imagine a beehive butler school. Attendants are the graduates! Their duties are all about ensuring the queen’s well-being:
Food Service: The queen is a queen, after all, and doesn’t forage for herself. Attendants feed her a special royal jelly, a protein-rich concoction that fuels her egg-laying prowess.
Royal Spa Treatment: Attendants keep the queen clean, constantly grooming her with their bristly legs. A clean queen is a happy queen!
Pheromone Party: The queen bee produces a special scent called queen mandibular pheromone. Attendants spread this scent throughout the hive, letting everyone know the queen is alive and well, and keeping worker bees from trying to raise their own queens.
Queen Security: Attendants form a protective barrier around the queen, shielding her from any harm.
A Life of Service
An attendant bee’s life is short, lasting only a few weeks. But in that short time, they play a vital role in the hive’s success. They ensure the queen can focus on her one critical job: reproduction.
Next time you hear the buzz of a beehive, remember the busybodies within – the queen’s attendants, the unsung heroes keeping the beehive humming!
