From egg to imago

The eggs laid by the queen pass through several developmental stages. The first, which lasts barely three days, is the most critical, as it corresponds to the development of the nervous and digestive systems of the larva inside the egg. After hatching, the larval stage begins with the emergence of a larva without antennae, eyes, legs, or wings, which is fed exclusively on a diet of royal jelly for three days.

(Photo: kleinewelt)

From the seventh day onward, the prepupal and then the pupal stage begins. The larvae of future workers consume pollen (proteins) and honey (sugars), as well as other secretions produced by nurse bees from the foragers’ inputs.

Only the queen is fed exclusively with royal jelly throughout the entire six days of her larval development.

		After the cell is capped, the nymphal stage begins, during which the insect undergoes metamorphosis, characterized by morpho-anatomical and physiological changes, culminating in the emergence of the imago, or fully developed adult insect (queen, worker, or drone).
Open queen cell

The freshly emerged worker is small, whitish, and covered with fine hairs; she moves somewhat clumsily, is harmless, and barely flies. The queen is distinguished by the large size of her abdomen, which will increase significantly after fertilization, as well as by her sting and venom sac, which are already functional and allow her to eliminate a potential rival queen.

The activity of worker bees is modulated over time by epigenetic mechanisms. They first act as cleaners, then as nurse bees for the brood and the queen thanks to their hypopharyngeal glands. Later, they ventilate the hive to maintain optimal temperature and humidity. Wax-producing workers build the combs. Store bees stock honey before becoming guards at the hive entrance against robbers or other aggressors. Only after about three weeks of work inside the hive do the foragers take flight—initially on short orientation flights, then on longer flights to collect nectar, honeydew, pollen, and water.

From the second to third day after emergence, the queen undertakes orientation flights to prepare for her nuptial flight, which is essential for her fertilization by several males with highly developed vision. The queen can then lay eggs for four to five years, producing a total of around 500,000 eggs.

See also:

• Royal jelly: one of many factors in queen development
• Identity card of the queen
• Everything about the drone
• Epigenetics leads genetics by the baton