Workers

1 . Is there a sequence of duties of a worker honey bee according to their age?

Yes, the bees rotate through different duties within the colony depending on their age

2 . Do worker bees have functional ovaries and are they capable of producing eggs and progeny?

Yes, but they are not capable of mating

3 . If a worker bee lays an egg, what sex will that offspring be? And why?

The egg will be male because worker bees do not have a spermatheca and cannot mate. Therefore, eggs are not fertilized thus can only produce male offspring. There is one exception in the honey bee arena, the Cape Bee, Apis mellifera capensis, located in South Africa.

4 . On average, how long do workers live?

During foraging periods (spring & summer) they live about 5 – 7 weeks. During the winter season, winter bees can survive for months.