Why would bees reject a queen? Here’s what happens when they do

Eusocial insects represent the highest level of intelligence of insects. They feature community brood care, cooperative food collection and preparation, and division of labor. Additionally, bees, ants, termites, and other eusocial insects usually follow and serve the alpha female or queen of their colony. But what happens when a colony rejects its queen, and why would bees reject a queen in the first place?

Why would bees reject a queen?

The answer is simple: because she just wasn’t fabulous enough. We’re kidding, of course. According to Bee culture, one of the most common rejection scenarios is that older worker bees see the new unknown queen as some kind of invader. This situation occurs most often in beekeeping when the fallen queens are physically replaced by the beekeepers themselves.

Sometimes new queens are born and raised inside the hive itself, but if the workers are unable to do so, a queen from another hive may need to be brought in. Even though drones can’t make a new queen, an unfamiliar or offensive scent on a new queen can spell disaster for a new queen. If the queen is not mated or mated with drones from other colonies, the outcome will likely be the same.

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If the queen is introduced to the hive in a separate cage, slowly existing bees may come to accept the new queen. But even that doesn’t always work.

Source: Damien Tupinier / UnSplash

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