What is the main job of a queen bee or termite?
In both bee and termite colonies, the queen serves as her colony’s reproductive source. The success and growth of the colony depends on the queen’s consistent egg production.FunctionBoth bee and termite queens continuously produce eggs in a colony, which is crucial to the colony’s survival. Queen bees produce fertilized and unfertilized eggs and may lay up to 2,000 eggs every day.SignificanceEggs laid by queen bees and termites become integral parts of their respective colonies. Termite eggs develop into nymphs, or workers, which may then molt one or more times to become soldiers or reproductive termites. In bee colonies, fertilized eggs will become female workers or queens, while unfertilized eggs only develop into male drones.PreparationA new queen bee leaves her colony after hatching to mate with male drones; according to master gardener Lynne Eley at the Colorado State University Cooperative Extension, this single mating event will allow her to produce fertilized eggs for her produ
