One study suggested that neonicotinoids affected the abilities of hives to produce queen bees.

BBC: Bee deaths: EU to ban neonicotinoid pesticides

So, for decades I have cringed every time I heard people point to Queen Bees who held women back.

FORBES: Taking The Sting Out Of The Queen Bee Myth

In fact, their bees are so healthy that Australian beekeepers export queen bees and nucleus hives to countries with declining populations.

FORBES: Bee-ing Smart: Regulators Must Distinguish Activists' Bad Dreams From Good Evidence

Queen bees may be with us but that does not mean that women over whom they have authority do not have options.

FORBES: Taking the Sting out of 'Queen Bees' Who May Be Out to Get You

Queen bees are creatures of circumstance, encircling potential rivals in much the same way as the immune system attacks a foreign body.

WSJ: The Tyranny of the Queen Bee

The gene's discovery means that scientists could have found a way of screening queen bees to keep a track on the march of the species.

BBC: Sci/Tech

What makes these queen bees so effective and aggravating is that they are able to exploit female vulnerabilities that men may not see, using tactics that their male counterparts might never even notice.

WSJ: The Tyranny of the Queen Bee

"When the queen bee lays her eggs, worker bees can determine whether the resulting larvae are to become an adult worker bee or an adult queen bee, " Dr Hurd said.

BBC: Honey bees' genetic code unlocked

It holds about fourteen thousand worker bees and a single queen, who is housed, along with a few devoted attendants, in a tiny cage.

NEWYORKER: Stung

The workers and the queen are not from the same original colony, and the queen is kept secluded to give the other bees time to grow accustomed to her odor.

NEWYORKER: Stung