Final answer:
A queen bee is the fertile female responsible for laying eggs, while worker bees are sterile and perform other tasks to maintain the hive and support the colony. Worker bees take care of growth and maintenance of the hive, as well as nurturing offspring. Through these specialized roles, both contribute to the survival of the species.
Step-by-step explanation:
The key difference between the development of a queen bee and worker bees lies in their roles within the hive. A queen bee is fertile and her primary role is to lay eggs, while the worker bees are sterile and do not reproduce. Instead, worker bees are responsible for a variety of tasks that support the hive, such as cleaning, feeding the young, building the honeycomb, guarding the hive, and foraging for food. This division of labor ensures that each bee contributes to the survival of the species in a specialized way, whether through reproduction or colony maintenance.
Role of the Queen Bee
The fertile queen bee is the only female in the hive able to lay eggs, and she may lay thousands of eggs over her lifetime. This high reproductive rate is crucial for establishing and maintaining the colony's population.
Role of the Worker Bees
Worker bees, although sterile, play a critical role in the hive. They use the energy they take in for their own growth, maintenance of the hive, and nurturing of offspring, which includes feeding and caring for the queen's larvae. Their efforts provide the necessary support for the queen to continue reproducing, and for the hive to thrive.