 In fertilised queens , the ovaries only become active when the queen starts to lay . An egg passes along the oviduct to the vagina where there is a chamber called the spermatheca , in which the sperm from the mating is stored . Depending on need , she may allow her egg to be fertilised . <unk> eggs become haploid males ; fertilised eggs grow into diploid females and queens . The hormones that stimulate the development of the ovaries are suppressed in female worker bees , while the queen remains dominant . 
