Correct Option
The correct option is (c) 2 and 3 only.
Explanation
Honey bees are eusocial insects that live in highly organized colonies with a strict division of labor. The colony consists of three castes: the Queen (fertile female), Workers (sterile females), and Drones (males). Their sex determination follows the haplodiploid system.
Statement-wise Analysis
- Statement 1 is Incorrect. The Queen bee is the mother of the colony and the only fertile female. Her primary and almost exclusive function is to lay eggs to maintain the colony's population. She does not participate in building the hive or foraging.
- Statement 2 is Correct. Worker bees are sexually undeveloped (sterile) females. They perform all the labor-intensive tasks for the colony, including foraging for nectar and pollen, feeding the larvae, and building the hive using wax secreted from glands in their abdomen.
- Statement 3 is Correct. Drones are the male members of the colony. In the haplodiploid sex-determination system, males develop from unfertilized eggs through a process called parthenogenesis (specifically arrhenotoky). Consequently, drones are haploid (having one set of chromosomes), whereas females (queens and workers) are diploid (developing from fertilized eggs).
Key Takeaway: In a honey bee colony, the Queen reproduces, Workers (sterile females) perform all labor including hive construction, and Drones (haploid males) develop via parthenogenesis solely for mating.