BEEHIVE HIERARCHY

Bee colonies consist almost entirely of females. At the top of the hierarchy is the queen, who is waited on by sterile female workers. By mating with a few males, known as drones, the queen stores sperm cells which will be used for fertilising eggs for the rest of her life.

The queen

uses neurotransmitters to control whether eggs develop into males or females.

Workers

are females developed from fertilised eggs that the queen lays in her youth.

Drones

are males developed from unfertilised eggs. They ensure the continuation of colony genes.