OHIO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Division of Plant Industry –
Apiculture 8995 East Main Street Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068-3399
HONEY BEE COLONY A colony of honey bees during the active season
is composed of a queen, several hundred drones, 30,000 – 80,000
workers and brood in all stages of development. Honey bees have
become so highly specialized in their functions that no
individual bee, including the queen, is capable of establishing
a new colony alone. Queen bee: The queen is the only member of
the colony capable of laying eggs which have been fertilized by
spermatozoa. A prolific queen is essential to have a strong
colony. She will lay up to 1,500 eggs during a 24 hour period. A
young queen normally takes one or more mating flights within 4
to 12 days after emerging from her cell. Queen bees may live 6-7
years, but are of the most productive value during the first Iwo
seasons of their life. Her sting resembles a wasp’s, being
relatively smooth, and is used to destroy rival queens. Drone
bee: The drone’s sole