Roles of bees in a beehive

What is a hive made up of?

A hive is a well-structured organisation made up of several types of bees, each with a specific role. To better understand the functioning of this colony, it is essential to identify its main occupants: the queen, the workers, and the drones. Each plays an indispensable role in the balance and survival of the whole.

The queen: the heart of the hive

The queen is the only egg-laying member of the colony, and her primary role is to ensure the renewal of the population. She is identifiable by her larger size compared to other bees and her elongated abdomen. At the height of the season, a queen can lay up to 2,000 eggs per day, thereby ensuring the survival and growth of the colony. She typically lives between 3 and 5 years, significantly longer than other bees. Her presence is essential: without her, the colony cannot persist.

The workers: the tireless labourers

The worker bees make up the vast majority of the bees in a hive, numbering up to 50,000 individuals during peak season. They are identifiable by their average size and their incessant activity. Their lives are organised around well-defined tasks according to their age: cleaning the hive, feeding the larvae, building the honeycombs, ventilating, protecting against intruders, and of course, collecting nectar and pollen. Their life expectancy varies from a few weeks in summer to several months for those born in autumn.

The drones: the males of the colony

The drones are the males of the hive and are distinguished by their stockier bodies and large eyes. They are present in far fewer numbers than the workers, with only a few hundred in total. Their primary role is reproduction: they fertilise virgin queens during the mating flights. Once their mission is accomplished, they die immediately after mating. At the end of the season, when resources become scarce, they are often driven out of the hive by the workers.