Laying worker
A worker whose ovaries have developed in the absence of a queen, laying eggs that produce only drones.
Definition
Without queen pheromone, worker ovaries develop and workers begin laying. Because they have not mated, the eggs are unfertilised and produce drones. The signs are multiple eggs per cell, eggs on cell walls rather than the base, and scattered drone brood in worker cells. A laying-worker colony is generally doomed — it will not accept a new queen readily and produces no workers.
Where the word gets used loosely
Often mistaken for a poor queen. The distinguishing sign is drone brood in worker-sized cells, which a laying queen would not produce. The exception is the Cape honey bee, whose laying workers produce females.
See also
Other beekeeping terms
Sources
Sources
- The Biology of the Honey Bee — Harvard University Press (1987) · Textbook
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