Queen Maintenance

Maintaining Strong Colonies Requires Strong Queens

Over and above the fact she lays upwards of 2,000 eggs a day, some say even more, she has a silent leadership going on in a way that is far different from what we think of as a "Queen".

Besides the fact that the queen is the ONLY egg layer in the hive, her contribution to the colony is more than just her genetics. It also includes her pheromones—those quiet chemical cues that keep the whole hive humming in sync. They don't boss anyone around; they just set the mood. Strong pheromones mean calmer workers, better foraging, no rogue egg-layers, and a tighter winter cluster.

Her attendants are the ones with the capabilities to distribute and share her pheromones with the entire colony so everybody is on the same page. As long as these pheromones are strong, the colony is in good shape.

So, queen mandibular pheromones—QMP for short—are basically the colony's boss lady signal. They suppress worker ovaries (no rogue egg-layers), dial down aggression, and keep everyone on task and more.