Queen

Definition

In eusocial insects, the fully reproductive female of a colony, typically the sole or primary egg-layer and the mother of most or all colony members. Queens are morphologically and physiologically specialized for reproduction, often possessing enlarged ovaries and, in many Hymenoptera, a functional spermatheca for long-term sperm storage. They commonly exert reproductive dominance over other females through pheromonal suppression (queen substance, queen mandibular pheromone) or aggressive policing. The term applies to ants, bees, wasps, and termites; in some species, multiple queens may coexist (pleometrosis), while in others, colonies are strictly monogynous.

Etymology

From Middle English quene, quene, from Old English cwēn ("woman, wife, queen"); applied to social insects by analogy to a ruling female.

Example

In honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies, the queen maintains reproductive monopoly by secreting queen mandibular pheromone, which inhibits worker ovary development and suppresses the construction of emergency queen cells.

Synonyms

• female reproductive
• primary reproductive

Related Terms

• Caste
• eusocial
• Worker
• drone
• Gyne
• Monogyny
• pleometrosis
• Queen substance
• Royal jelly
• Nuptial flight
• colony

Usage Notes

Distinguished from "gyne" (any reproductive female, including unmated princesses and young queens) and from "worker" (typically sterile or weakly reproductive females). In termites, both sexes have fully reproductive forms, so "king" is used for the male equivalent. Not all social insects have discrete queen castes; some halictid bees have queen-like females that are merely dominant rather than morphologically distinct.