Queen substance is a pheromone with powerful effects. It consists mainly of the chemicals 9 oxydecenoic acid and 9 hydroxydecenoic acid and is licked from the queen by her retinue of workers who then pass it on through all the bees in the hive.

So long as worker bees get a certain amount of queen substance per day, it has a calming effect and the hive hums along in a sort of stable frenzy.

Another of the actions of queen substance is to inhibit the building of queen cells by workers. If the daily dosage goes below a certain level the workers become agitated and the building of queen cells may commence. There are two main reasons why the daily dosage of queen substance may go down:

1.   As the queen ages the amount of queen substance she can produce will begin to ebb;
2.   If the colony becomes very large there may not be enough queen substance to go round.

If the case is as in 1, then the aim will be supersedure (or queen replacement). If on the other hand it is as in 2 then the aim will be swarming (colony reproduction).

Queen cells are large, downward pointing, cup-shaped cells. In the case of supersedure one or a few will be produced and they will tend to be situated in the middle of the frames. If the bees are swarming there will be many and they will tend to be built at the bottom or sides or along the tops of frames. The queen lays fertilised eggs into these cells.

One of the ingredients of queen substance – 9 oxydecenoic acid plays a role in queen mating by attracting a crowd of eager drones. It is also the substance that holds a swarm together – it tells the bees ‘Mother is here’. Otherwise they all go home.

Regarding queen substance, it should be stressed that while she is the source of it, the queen has as little control over its production as we do over hair growth. While the workers’ reactions to it suggest subservience, their reactions to a lack of it show where the power truly lies. As such, the queen’s control is possible only so long as she continues to serve the colony. This makes the honeybee colony something of a democracy as defined by Chambers: “a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people collectively, and is administered by them or by the officers appointed by them”. Communist literature cites the honeybee colony as the near perfect Workers’ Republic.

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The number of pheromones active within a honeybee colony is unknown but here are some of them:

Queen substance: A cocktail of substances including 9 oxydecenoic acid and 9 hydroxydecenoic acid which are the main ingredients. Queen substance licked from the queen is passed around the hive by workers. It has a calming effect and prevents the building of queen cells. If the dosage of queen substance per bee is reduced below a certain level the inhibition is lifted, the bees become agitated and the production of queen cells will commence. Here are two scenarios when this will happen:

1. Queen substance production is reduced such as in the aging queen;
2. A colony builds up very strong and very quickly.

In the former, supersedure will commence. In the latter – swarming is initiated.

One of the ingredients of queen substance – 9 oxydecenoic acid attracts drones to the young queen who is out to get mated.

9 oxydecenoic acid will also hold a swarm together when it is hung up on a bush – it tells them ‘Mother is with us’. If ‘Mother’ is not with them they will go home.

Heptanone: Not clear what this is for. It is released from the mandibular glands of worker bees and it attracts the attention of other bees. Could be some sort of marker (‘hey, come and look at this thing!’) or an alarm pheromone. It has been found to have anasthetic effects on wax moth…

Isopentylacetate: Released when a bee stings and causes other bees to sting the same spot. I hate that.

Nasonov gland pheromone: Released from the Nasonov glands of worker bee – the visible white dot in the open tail of fanning bees. Carries a ‘come and join us’ message to disturbed bees.

Drone phermone: from drones and attracts other drones to drone congregation areas

Brood pheromone: from larvae and pupae – prevents laying workers

Click here for more about the life cycle of honey bees and how it is governed by pheromones

Click here for more on Supersedure

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