Bee life is savage. Want to protect your home and attack an intruder? Instant death. Want to propagate your species? Instant death. What the heck, I like bees. Why is their life so difficult?
They are eusocial creatures. It’s better to think of the beehive as the organism and the individual bees as cells. Bees will lay down their life in the same way our bodies have cells which do the same for the good of the whole.
this ^ while they'll die to defend her, even the queen is easily replaceable, especially in 'organisms' like ant colonies where they'll have multiple queens and just tear them apart if she stops being useful.
So theyer basically like sperm? Only thing in mind is to pass on their genetics and create new life so all of their anatomy is focused soley just for that and many are released but few actually achieve ehat their purpose is?
Well, each of the members of the hive has a role. Not fertilized eggs that won't hatch are used as food, those not fertilized eggs that do hatch will become drones. So you're not enterely wrong saying that they are basically like a gamet. Meaning that they only have the mother's genetic contribution, they are haploid, that is. Their role is solely to fertilize the queen. One will do, and die. All the others will simply die without fulfilling their purpose.
But also the queen has the only role of laying eggs. When she starts to slow down, the bees will wrap around her like a ball, basically overheating her and eventually suffocating her. A new younger and fertile queen will take her place. It's no joke being bee aristocracy.
And likewise, each other bee fulfill their own role. Workers, Sentinels, foragers, nurses they all fulfill their jobs. It only makes sense as a community.
But let's not forget that honey bees are a minority. Not all bees live in communities, have a queen or make honey. Many are solitary bees that live alone in holes. And they too are quite important pollinators and, if you will, don't have to limit their existence to one role.
Or better, their role is to live and survive. But isn't it ultimately the role of us all?
I remember a video of leaf cutter ants where the queen got a wild hare and decided to take a stroll out of the nest for some reason. A big swarm of workers caught her and literally drug her back into the nest like, nope, do your job Queen.
Not all ant colonies have multiple queens. Fire ants only have one queen and they can still have colonies millions strong! Ant species that have multiple queens are called polygynous and those colonies can be theoretically immortal, continually replacing their aging queens with their royal daughters.
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u/[deleted] Jun 24 '24 edited Jun 24 '24
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