Yesterday’s hive inspection led to some exciting discoveries. Pictured at the bottom left of the photo is a queen cell growing larvae located at the edge of the frame. This is a sign that this healthy, thriving hive is getting ready to swarm! The hive is growing quickly and space is becoming limited, so a portion of the bees will leave the hive along with the old queen and the new queen currently in larvae stage inside the cell will be born to take on the old hive. Queen bee larvae are fed royal jelly, a secretion from glands of the worker bees made up of proteins, fatty acids, trace minerals and vitamins. This food alone grows the queen, the only fertile bee in the colony. Queen bees are essential to the longevity of the hive with the longest life span of up to 5 years. Worker and drone bees will only live up to 4-6 months, depending on the season. The queen will spend the entirety of her life inside the hive laying brood to continue on the life of the hive. #organicapiary #naturalbeekeeping #honeybees #myphoto