Recently, I have thought long and hard about what it really means to be a queen. As always, when I have something big to contemplate, I turn to the bees. I asked them, what does it mean to be a queen, and why is the mother bee called the Queen Bee? The Queen Bee in the insect world is a direct link to the survival of a diversity of species from plants and animals to humans, other insects and much much more. The Queen Bee can lay up to 1,000 eggs in a day. The genetics of the queen helps to make sure her offspring are strong and well suited for the environment.
The Queen Bee does not rule the hive, in fact, it is the opposite. The sister bees are the ones who share responsibilities and make decisions in the hive. The Queen is the great mother, and she brings forth new life hundreds of times a day. She is the great creator, as her daughters and sons all support one another. She brings in new life and expansion as her sons and daughters nurture one another. The Queen Bee produces a scent that helps to keep the hive calm as well as showing them where home is. The Queen Bee is the Mother of the hive, and what a great mother she is. Her scent alone helps the bees feel safe and relaxed and her scent means home. I find that when talking to the bees, the Queen Bee means Mother, and that is the best kind of Queen there is.
In the photo, the Queen is the large bee with the extended abdomen that has a solid amber color. The sister bees are surrounding her and all have amber and black stripes