Queen bees emerge from special wax chambers

(cen.acs.org)

45 points | by gmays 4 hours ago

3 comments

  • skyberrys 1 hour ago
    The chemicals in their nearby environment are what make the embryos develop into Queen bees. It makes one wonder what sort of nearby chemical environments do to human embryo development.
    • dcrazy 1 hour ago
      Since human fetuses are usually encapsulated within the womb of an adult woman, they’re far more insulated from arbitrary chemical environments than bee larvae. But of course we know of many cases where chemicals make it through the mother’s body and into the fetus’s immediate environment, affecting its development: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/fetal-alcohol...
  • slicktux 43 minutes ago
    I’ve always wondered what or how queen bees were made. It’s almost as they were a different insect.
  • dlev_pika 48 minutes ago
    Fascinating. Sharing with a beekeeper friend, thank you