Biology
for Honey Bee
Unlike most insects, a honey bee colony is long-lived, carrying on from one year into the next. Source: https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-insects/wasps-and-bees Only the queen lays eggs, up to 1500 in a single day, while workers are sterile females that handle every hive chore, and drones exist solely to mate with a new queen. Source: https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN1005 Time from egg to adult depends on caste: drones take longest at 24 days, workers fall in the middle at 21 days, and queens develop quickest in 15–16 days. Source: https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN1005 A colony multiplies by splitting off new colonies, an event known as swarming. Source: https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN1005