The bee that lays eggs in a hive is called

1. Analyze the question The question asks which bee in a hive is responsible for laying eggs. This is about the social organization (castes) of honey bees.

2. Explain the concept Honey bees are social insects that live in colonies with a division of labour. There are three castes:

• Queen: A fertile female. She is the only bee in the hive that lays eggs, and she can lay thousands in a day. She also releases chemicals (pheromones) that keep the colony organized.
• Drone: A male bee. His only job is to mate with a queen. He does not lay eggs and does not collect food.
• Worker: A sterile female. Workers collect nectar and pollen, make honey, build and clean the comb, feed the larvae, and guard the hive. They normally do not lay eggs.

3. Solution, step by step

• Option A, broiler: This is a type of chicken raised for meat, not a bee.
• Option B, drone: A male bee, so it cannot lay eggs.
• Option C, layer: This is a chicken kept for egg production, not a bee.
• Option D, queen: The fertile female whose function is egg laying. ✔
• Option E, worker: A sterile female that does the hive's labour, not egg laying.

4. Answer The bee that lays eggs in a hive is the queen, which is option D.

5. Exam tip Remember the roles with this trick: Queen = Quantity of eggs, Drone = Dad (male, mating), Worker = Works. Also, "broiler" and "layer" are poultry terms. NECO often puts these in as distractors, so don't be fooled by the word "layer."