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Scientists have found that a family of South American stingless bees keep a 'spare' virgin queen locked away.  When the reigning queen bee dies, the new queen is let out.

The bees are as small as fruit flies and leave a thin 'window' of wax which they open to feed the 'spare'.  If the current queen fails, then they release the imprisoned virgin queen, who then takes over the egg-laying.

Honey producing bees have to rear a new queen by feeding royal jelly to one of the larvae, which would otherwise have become a worker.  The process of creating a new queen can take two weeks.

Dr Adam Hart of the University of Gloucestershire spoke in June 2010 at The Times Cheltenham Science Festival.  He is Scientific Director and Project Guardian of the Global Bee Project.