So every time she has sex, the Queen bee lays some eggs in a hive cell? Then she has sex again, lays more eggs in a hive cell, and repeats this 17-20 times in an afternoon? No lying around eating Queen Bee bonbons for her! I finally understand the origin of the phrase “busy bee”. Thank you.
***So every time she has sex, the Queen bee lays some eggs in a hive cell? Then she has sex again, lays more eggs in a hive cell, and repeats this 17-20 times in an afternoon?
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I think that she only “gets busy” >ahem< once like this in her life. During her initial flight, she will mate with 10-12 male drones.
No picnic for them either, as they lose their reproductive organs in the process, dying in the process.
She uses what she has stored up over the next 3-5 years and lays eggs.
https://www.geesbees.ca/post/queen-bee-mating?srsltid=AfmBOop0CFIhFiHJTrJQF2O-W45ejhQATmPYueY0Txj0f-RmPQtUQFJN <=NOT bee pron 🐝
True Facts about bees... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6hGjh9SJ_M
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From what (little?) I know, the mating frenzy happens, and then the egg laying frenzy.
SLIDE
And the Queen Bee has flying skills. She needs to stay aloft long enough to mate with all of those males.
While she is in flight, a mate needs to catch up to her. I have had the good fortune to witness this coupling twice in my life. The flight is so incredibly slow that I wondered how they stayed aloft.
The first time, my eldest son was playing in the back yard when he came in to get me to see the “baby bee” getting a “ride on his Daddy’s back.” He was 3. 😊 By the time we got out to the spot, they had not gone very far at all, fortunately.
The second time was while I was gardening about 20 years ago. Again, the flight is so slow that I was able to go into the house to get my husband to witness this phenomenon.
God’s creation is amazing.