<P> Supersedure may be forced by a beekeeper, for example by clipping off one of the queen's middle or posterior legs . This makes her unable to properly place her eggs at the bottom of the brood cell; the workers detect this and then rear replacement queens . When a new queen becomes available, the workers kill the reigning queen by "balling" her, clustering tightly around her . Death through balling is accomplished by surrounding the queen bee and raising her body temperature, causing her to overheat and die . Balling is often a problem for beekeepers attempting to introduce a replacement queen . </P> <P> If a queen suddenly dies, the workers will attempt to create an "emergency queen" by selecting several brood cells where a larva has just emerged which are then flooded with royal jelly . The worker bees then build larger queen cells over the normal - sized worker cells which protrude vertically from the face of the brood comb . Emergency queens are usually smaller and less prolific than normal queens . </P> <P> Although the name might imply it, a queen bee does not directly control the hive . Her sole function is to serve as the reproducer . A well - mated and well - fed queen of quality stock can lay about 1,500 eggs per day during the spring build - up--more than her own body weight in eggs every day . She is continuously surrounded by worker bees who meet her every need, giving her food and disposing of her waste . The attendant workers also collect and then distribute queen mandibular pheromone, a pheromone that inhibits the workers from starting queen cells . </P> <P> The queen bee is able to control the sex of the eggs she lays . The queen lays a fertilized (female) or unfertilized (male) egg according to the width of the cell . Drones are raised in cells that are significantly larger than the cells used for workers . The queen fertilizes the egg by selectively releasing sperm from her spermatheca as the egg passes through her oviduct . </P>

How many bees does a queen bee produce