In chess, the queen is the most valuable piece for a player. She’s capable of making any move, which also makes her the most protected after the king. In a bee colony, the queen holds the same rank.

In the intricate world of honeybee colonies, the survival of the hive hinges on the health and productivity of the queen bee. However, if the worker bees detect any signs of weakness in their queen, ...

Queen bee standing on a supersedure cell (peanut-shaped structure, center). Within the supersedure cell is a new queen bee that the workers have reared as a replacement. It sounds like the plot of a ...

The Red & Black is a 501c3 nonprofit. Please consider a one-time gift or become a monthly supporter. Cancel anytime. Dan Long handles his beehives with care. When he needs to harvest honey or search ...

Honey bees are highly social creatures that live in large family groups. Each group or colony is well-organized, with three types of adult bees: a queen, worker bees, and drones. Worker bees are all ...

In honeybee hives, a surprising phenomenon regularly occurs: worker bees can turn against their own queen to replace her when they deem her too weak. This practice, called supersedure, plays a key ...