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When A Queen Bee Dies
The workers find a new one
In a hive, the queen bee is the star, the one who is responsible for the whole business of laying eggs. Without her egg-laying ability, the hive colony will fail. It’s a little like being in jail, only sweeter.
The worker bees are the ones who make sure the queen sticks to her job and doesn’t ditch them to go to a matinee. Even if she wanted to grab a few beers at the local pub it is never allowed.
The workers control so much of her movement. No one on the outside is ever sure she is actually in the hive. So they put on protection and sidle up to the structure, hoping to get a fast glimpse and verify she’s still at it. That pisses the workers off royally, who will fly at the outsiders, beating and pushing them away until satisfied that no harm will come to their queen.
It’s kind of silly, actually, because unless the queen pops out for a few minutes and waves her fragile little wings at you so you can snap a picture, there’s no need. The regimented workers look so strange with their fuzzy black heads and red-coated bellies with their stingers resting on their shoulders that outsiders take pictures of them instead.
Something called an excluder prevents the queen from escaping.
