Queen Bee – lives up to 5 years – has a productive life of about 2 to 3 years – can lay up to 2,000 eggs per day and produces 1 million offspring in her life time. Her only role in the colony is to keep it going by producing bees bees bees as well as secreting a pheromone that keeps all other females in the colony sterile.
Drones – male bees their only role is to mate with the female then once mating is done they die very soon after.
Worker Bees – these are female bees – they tend the hive, collect nectar, store pollen, build the honeycomb, guard the hive against invaders (esp wasps), preserve honey, fan the hive if too hot and collect water and fan to make it cool if too hot – basically they do all the hard work. Women power!