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Story: Beekeeping

Queen surrounded by workers

Image
Queen surrounded by workers

The larger and longer queen bee is the centre of the workers’ attention. Their main role is to feed her so she can keep producing eggs and replenish the hive population.

Using this item

Natural Sciences Image Library of New Zealand

Reference: Be260Smn.tif

by Peter E. Smith

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How to cite this page

Allan Gillingham, Beekeeping – The bee colony, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/15751/queen-surrounded-by-workers (accessed 11 June 2026).

Story by Allan Gillingham, published 1 March 2009.