1. Pheromones:
- Queen bees release a specific pheromone called the queen mandibular pheromone (QMP). This pheromone suppresses the development of ovaries and prevents worker bees from laying eggs.
- The presence of QMP is crucial for maintaining social stability in the hive. It signals the queen's presence and inhibits the reproductive potential of workers, ensuring that the queen remains the sole egg layer in the colony.
2. Dominance Behaviors:
- Queen bees engage in dominance behaviors to establish and maintain their authority within the hive.
- They may physically attack and fight with rival queens or challenger princesses to ensure they are the dominant individual in the colony.
3. Aggressive Behaviors:
- Queen bees might display aggression toward emerging princesses. This behavior includes biting, stinging, or even chasing and eliminating potential rivals.
- By actively removing competitors, the queen reinforces her dominance and reduces the likelihood of other females developing into fertile queens.
4. Reproductive Suppression:
- The queen's pheromonal signals and dominance behaviors also suppress the reproductive development of worker bees.
- In the presence of a dominant queen, worker bees typically do not develop their ovaries and focus solely on performing their assigned tasks within the hive.
It's worth noting that the control exerted by the queen bee is not absolute. If the queen dies, gets injured, or becomes weak, the pheromone levels may drop, leading to the emergence of multiple princesses. In such cases, the princesses will compete among themselves to become the new dominant queen.
The queen bee's ability to control the princesses and maintain social harmony within the hive is essential for the survival and success of the honeybee colony.
