What is the role of worker bees in the colony?

Worker bees play a crucial role in maintaining the functionality and health of the hive. Their responsibilities encompass various essential tasks that are vital to the colony's survival and success. Among these roles, the main functions include foraging for nectar and pollen, tending to the queen and the brood, cleaning the hive, and defending it against predators.

Caring for the young, or brood, is a significant aspect of a worker bee's duties. They feed the larvae with royal jelly and other food sources, ensuring that the next generation of bees develops properly. This nurturing is critical because the survival of future bees depends on the care provided by the workers.

Additionally, worker bees defend the hive from threats, which is also an important part of their role. They work together to protect the colony from intruders and predators, guarding the entrance to the hive to ensure that the queen and the brood can thrive without external threats.

While the other options present some activities relevant to a beekeeping context, they do not accurately describe the role of worker bees. For example, only the queen bee lays eggs, and sealing the hive with propolis is generally a maintenance task rather than an exclusive role earmarked for just the worker bees. Mating with the queen is solely the responsibility