queen substance

entomology

Also known as: oxodecenoic acid, trans-9-oxy-2-decenoic acid

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July 13, 2026

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"Queen substance" is a pheromone secreted by queen bees. This substance is consumed by worker bees and inhibits the development of their ovaries. It is produced in the queen's mandibular gland and is crucial for maintaining the social structure within a beehive.123

When the queen is present and producing queen substance, worker bees do not develop functional ovaries, ensuring that only the queen reproduces. If the queen is removed or weakened, the production of this pheromone decreases, signaling the workers to begin raising new queens. This pheromone also plays a role in attracting drones during the queen's nuptial flight.23

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chemoreception
Primer pheromones
Queen honeybees secrete “queen substance” from their mandibular glands. When an unfertilized queen leaves the colony, queen substance acts as an olfactory attractant for males. The same compound within the colony modifies the behavior of workers, preventing them from rearing more queens, and also affects their physiology, disrupting…
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Queen honeybees secrete “queen substance” from their mandibular glands. When an unfertilized queen leaves the colony, queen substance acts as an olfactory attractant for males. The same compound within the colony modifies the behavior of workers, preventing them from rearing more queens, and also affects their physiology, disrupting…
Read More

reproductive behaviour
Group care
…by the queen, called the queen substance. It inhibits the workers from building special brood cells that give rise to sexually developed individuals. If the queen fails to secrete this substance because of age or death, the workers immediately construct special brood cells with a substance they secrete; called royal…
Read More
…by the queen, called the queen substance. It inhibits the workers from building special brood cells that give rise to sexually developed individuals. If the queen fails to secrete this substance because of age or death, the workers immediately construct special brood cells with a substance they secrete; called royal…
Read More