Queen Bumble Bee vs. Worker Bumble Bee: 6 Key Differences

The two main types of bumble bees in a colony, the queen and worker, have different roles to play as well as personality traits. The worker bees carry out a variety of responsibilities to maintain the survival and proper operation of the hive, while the queen bee is in charge of egg creation and reproduction.

Most people are aware that every beehive has a queen and several additional bees who all cooperate to guarantee the colony’s survival. So what distinguishes the worker bee from the queen bee?

In this guide, we’ll break down the most important differences between the queen bumble bee and the worker bumble bee, as well as their similarities and purposes within the hive. You might be surprised by some of these differences between queens and workers!

Comparing Queen Bumble Bee vs. Worker Bumble Bee

Key Differences Between Queen Bumble Bee vs. Worker Bumble Bee

There are a number of key differences between queen bumble bees and worker bumble bees. Their biggest differences come down to overall size and general behavior within the hive.

1. Queen Bumble Bees Are Larger Than Worker Bumble Bees

Depending on the variety and age of the bee in question, the sizes of both queens and workers with be quite different. Queen bumble bees are between 0.75 inches and 1.25 inches long. Worker bumble bees are between 0.40 inches and 0.70 inches long. Thus, queens are much bigger than worker bees, despite them both being female bees.

So why exactly are queen bumble bees so much bigger? To reproduce 2,000 eggs a day and up to a million adult bees in her lifetime, the queen needs a hefty physique. That being said, she is not significantly bigger than her worker daughters, certainly not by the same margin as a queen ant or termite.

Since they play different roles in the hive and have a separate set of physical traits that are tailored to their reproductive function, queen bumble bees are generally bigger than worker bumble bees. The job of the queen bumble bee is to lay eggs and create young for the colony. The worker bees, who are in charge of a range of duties including foraging, constructing and maintaining the hive, and defending the colony, are normally smaller than these bigger bees.

Since they consume a different diet than worker bees, queen bees tend to put on a bit of weight. The rich, nutritious food known as royal jelly, which is created for the queen by the worker bees, is provided only to queen bees.

The queen bumble bee’s reproductive organs benefit from stimulation from this specific diet, which enables her to produce eggs more quickly than worker bees. In general, queen bees’ bigger size is tailored to their reproductive role and contributes to the success and longevity of the hive.

2. Queen Bumble Bees Control the Sex of their Eggs

Queen bumble bees can control the sex of their eggs through the use of pheromones. Worker bumble bees cannot do this.

Every young queen makes a mating flight, gathers sperm from several matings, and then stores it for the remainder of her life. She utilizes it gradually as she produces eggs. Unfertilized eggs develop into males known as drones, while fertilized eggs develop into females known as workers.

So, if the queen gives sperm to an egg, the result will be a female; if she doesn’t, the result will be a male. As a result, it would seem that the queen would have influence over the sex of her progeny. 

Entomologists, however, adhere to the belief that the sort of eggs the queen lays is under the authority of the workers. The cells or cavities in which the queen will lay her eggs are created by the workers. Only in cells large enough to hold male larvae, which are larger than female larvae, can a queen deposit an unfertilized egg. So, the workers can restrict the number of male progeny the queen produces by regulating the number of cells of each size they construct. 

That being said, the queen can still sway the gender balance of the hive despite these limitations. Scientists are still unsure of who actually holds the most power when it comes to controlling the sex of eggs and larvae.

3. Queen Bumble Bees Can Use Pheromones to Control Worker Bumble Bees

It has been discovered that bumble bee queens emit distinctive pheromones to announce their presence and prevent their workers from breeding. They do this by creating long-chain hydrocarbons that stop workers from reproducing. The most prevalent group of chemicals that are generated in higher amounts in queens and other reproductive people are saturated hydrocarbons. This shows that throughout 150 million years of evolution, these substances were transformed from fertility cues in the common ancestor of bumble bees to queen pheromones in a number of separately evolving eusocial lineages.

Queen pheromones are crucial for preserving the reproductive hierarchy within the colony in social bumble bees. Pheromones produced by queens communicate their reproductive state, prevent others from growing ovaries, and often cause instant behavioral reactions like attraction and subordinates’ attendance of the dominant bee.

4. Worker Bees Can Only Produce Male Bees

Although worker bees usually aren’t able to reproduce or mate, they can deposit unfertilized eggs that can grow into male drone bees. The queen often chooses to consume any worker-laid eggs in order to maintain supremacy over reproduction. In certain species, a practice called worker policing allows other worker bees to consume other worker bees’ eggs. Nevertheless, worker bees can only have male progeny, but only queen bumble bees can have both male and female offspring.

The benefits of worker bees raising their own offspring outweigh the obstacles that the queen lays out, but they are wholly individualistic and may come at the expense of the colony as a whole. Reproductive workers are thought by many experts to have life expectancies that are up to three times longer, which is almost as long as the queen.

This increased life expectancy is assumed to be a result of workers who reproduce avoiding engaging in dangerous labor like foraging. However, because worker bees that are reproducing are not making honey, an increase in the number of workers that reproduce endangers the colony’s overall ability to make honey. As a result, a queen-worker competition over the generation of males is important for the longevity of the colony.

5. Queen Bumble Bees Live Longer Than Worker Bumble Bees

Worker bumble bees normally only survive for a few months, usually around four or five. Queen bumble bees can live for several years, though most only live for about one year. The queen bumble bee’s prolonged lifetime enables her to continue reproducing for a longer length of time, which contributes to the hive’s success and continuous existence. The queen bee’s longer lifespan is also a contributing factor to the size difference between queen bumble bees and worker bumble bees.

So why exactly do queens live so long? Some scientists believe that it is because of the royal jelly they are fed. The only food the worker bumble bees will give their queen is royal jelly, which they make in special glands. Being the equivalent of breast milk for bumble bees, royal jelly is a form of superfood that contains antimicrobial peptides and supports good bacteria.

According to one study, royal jelly promotes the growth of gut bacteria unique to queen bees. This puts the queen bee on a path toward a significantly longer life span by diverting her gut microbiota from that of the typical worker bee. The primary source of nutrition for workers is pollen, rather than this royal jelly.

Unwanted bacteria and microbes are kept away by royal jelly, honey, and other components in the hive’s habitat. Bumble bees can pick up their helpful bacteria by interacting with food sources, nest mates, and the general hive environment.

6. Worker Bumble Bees Cannot Become Queens

Because worker bees eat a combination of pollen and nectar, they cannot become queens. Only larvae who have been fed completely on royal jelly may do so. A colony might occasionally need to produce a new queen because the existing one has passed away or has swarmed.

The worker bees will locate larvae that are under three days old and store them in specially constructed queen cells when a hive loses its queen. After about three days, the eggs will hatch, and the larvae will be fed royal jelly. The brand-new queen bees will break out of their cells and begin to fly, usually around a week later. After mating with the male drones, they will all attempt to murder one another; there can only be one queen, after all. The remaining surviving queen will then assume control of the colony and start producing eggs.

It takes slightly under a month from the time the old queen dies until the replacement queen begins to lay eggs. It’s definitely a quick process! A colony without a queen will not survive for very long, thus it is imperative that the worker bees raise a new queen as quickly as possible. The queen releases pheromones that aid in calming down the other bees and stop worker bees from laying eggs. Without the queen, the workers will start to produce eggs, but because they are not sexually mature, they are unable to fertilize the eggs they deposit or mate with drones. All eggs will therefore develop into male drones when they hatch.

Aren’t bumble bees fascinating? The queen bumble bee and the worker bumble bee are vital to the survival of their colonies, and their key differences and roles are what keep the hive going.

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