1. The queen;

There is only one queen in each honeybee colony. She has a larger body than the drones and workers. She is the only fertile female. She may live up to 5 years.

Function;

• She lays up to 200 eggs in one day and throughout her life time, she is capable of laying millions of eggs
• She produces the queen substance which is passed to all the members of the colony together.

1. The drones;

There are about 200 to 400 in each honeybee colony. Drones are fertile males that develop from unfertilized eggs. They are larger in size than the workers. They have broad, stout bodies and powerful wings. They are often killed by the workers if the supply of honey is low.

Function;

 The single function of drones is to supply the queen with the sperm that she needs for the fertilization of eggs. Several drones mate with one queen to supply the sperm.

1. The workers;

They are about 5000 to 8000 workers in each honeybee colony. The workers are unfertile females that developed from fertilized eggs. They are the smallest in size and are well adapted to carry out their functions.

Function;

• The workers clean the queen cells for her to lay eggs
• They feed the larvae with bee bread which is made up of stored honey and pollen
• They feed the nearly hatched eggs with the royal jelly
• They receive and store honey and pollen in the honey comb

Economic importance of honeybees

• Honeybees provide man with honey which is used as food and medicine  
• They pollinate flowers in gardens and farms thereby, helping them to produce fruits
• They produce wax used for making decorative candles
• They produce the royal jelly used by man as food supplement
• Bee farming is a source of income to many people
• Honeybees make part of the food chain
• Some can sting and cause death