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How does royal jelly help produce a new honeybee queen?

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Serengeti National Park, Tanzania: herd of gnu (wildebeests) — Animal social behavior Herd of gnu (wildebeests) in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania.

In the context of honeybee social behavior, royal jelly is a critical factor in determining the development of a queen bee. While all honeybee larvae are initially fed this nutritious, protein-rich substance secreted by worker bees, only those destined to become queens are fed royal jelly throughout their entire larval period.12

When a colony becomes crowded or requires a new queen, worker bees select specific larvae that would otherwise develop into workers and feed them copious amounts of royal jelly. This specialized, continuous diet allows these larvae to develop into larger-bodied, sexually mature queens. To accommodate this growth, the worker bees also enlarge and draw out the cells in which these selected larvae develop, known as queen cells.2

By providing this exclusive, nutrient-dense diet, the colony ensures the production of a new queen, which is essential for the continued survival and propagation of the honeybee society.23