The queen honeybee is the biggest bee in the hive. There is usually only one per hive, and
her job is to grow the family by laying eggs that will become the next generation of honeybees.
She lays over a thousand eggs per day and can live anywhere from 3 to 5 years. When the time © 2013 ReadWorks®
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comes for a new queen to take over, some larvae are placed in special chambers to grow queen
bees. After they hatch, they are fattened up with royal jelly, a nutritious substance that worker
bees secrete. It usually takes about two weeks for a newly hatched female bee to grow into a
queen bee. The first female bee to become a queen bee kills the other potential queen bees.