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The reign of the queen-bee
The queen-bee is the head of a reign composed of more than fifty
thousand worker-bees and a few hundred drones. Well cared for, fondled
and fed, she lays hundreds of eggs every day. None of the worker-bees
can lay eggs and compete with her.
The queen-bee insures her dominion by emitting a chemical called
the 'queen-bee substance' that calms the other bees and gives them
a feeling of well-being, while inhibiting the sexual development
of the worker-bees, who therefore remain sterile. Only in late spring
is there rebellion in the air: when the family has reached the apex
of its development, the 'queen-bee substance' becomes scarce.
This generates a bad mood and a sense of abandonment in the beehive.
This is when swarming starts. The bees build some queen cells, bigger
than the others and
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