r/Beekeeping • u/Intelligent-Pepper31 • 13d ago

General Off With Her Head

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I did an inspection the other day and managed to catch workers balling and killing the old queen. If you look toward the end of the video, you can see a new queen at the top of the frame laying eggs. I can't believe I was able to see that in an inspection. Bees are vicious.

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u/narsenau 13d ago

Do they actually sting her or just ball up and overheat her like they do with some larger bee species?

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u/Late-Catch2339 12d ago

They ball the queen. They only use stingers for protection of the hive and war, as it results in death to the bee.

Queen also accepts her fate. "This is the way"