A bee’s life depends on its function within the colony. A colony of bees consists of the queen, workers, and drones.
All of the eggs are laid by the queen bee, which is the biggest bee in the colony. A queen bee spends the most of her life inside the hive, where she lays eggs and is taken care of by the worker bees. She can survive for up to five years.
The female bees known as “worker bees” are responsible for all tasks within the hive, such as cleaning, feeding the queen and the baby bees, gathering nectar and pollen, and producing honey and beeswax. A worker bee’s longevity is influenced by the time of year and the quantity of labour they perform. Worker bees may only live for a few weeks during the summer, when the colony is most busy. Worker bees can live for several months during the winter, when the colony is less busy.
Male bees called drones are in charge of mating with the queen. They don’t labour in the hive and don’t have stingers. In the colony, drones have the shortest average lifespan, lasting a few weeks.
In general, a bee’s lifespan varies based on its place in the colony and the season. All bees, however, are crucial to the survival and development of the colony.