Hail to the Queen

Oh, to be a queen bee...

Her Royal Highness (HRH) is quite pampered. She's always surrounded by her royal attendants, called the retinue. They tend to her every need. They feed and groom her. They keep her warm or cool, depending on the temperature inside the hive.

They know it's her and not an imposter. Her Excellency releases a pheromone (chemical) that identifies her.

The retinue--with attendants circling the queen--reminds me of a NFL quarterback huddle. Form a tight-knit circle. Strategize. Criticize. Motivate. Win the game. Celebrate.

The queen bee, however, is no quarterback.

The worker bees (females) run the hive. They're the builders, architects,  foragers, guards, royal attendants, coolers and heaters, nurse maids, nannies and undertakers.

The queen's only duty is to lay eggs. In peak season, she lays as many as 2000 eggs a day. She's the mother of all the bees in the hive, which can amount to 45,000 to 60,000 in the summer.

Ever seen a "classic retinue" photograph? Bee breeder-geneticist Susan Cobey, manager of the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at UC Davis, shared this photo (below). Note that ALL the royal attendants are facing her, which is what makes this a "classic retinue" instead of a your basic everyday retinue.

Hail to the queen.

But the real salute, the real applause, the real credit, should go to the workers.

They do all the work.