Emergency queen
A queen raised at short notice from a larva that was already being fed as a worker.
Beekeeping
Definition
When a colony loses its queen suddenly, workers convert existing worker larvae into queen cells. Because those larvae had already been switched off royal jelly, emergency queens are generally the weakest of the three routes to a new queen, and colonies frequently supersede them within a season.
See also
Other beekeeping terms
Sources
Sources
- The Biology of the Honey Bee — Harvard University Press (1987) · Textbook
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