Each hive has it's own queen. If the queen dies without a successor, or a larva that can be fed to develop into a queen, the hive dies. Worker bees can lay eggs, but they will only develop into drones (males). The queen is the only one that can lay eggs that will be female (workers). All worker bees are female. Only female bees can sting, as the stinger is a modified egg laying tube. Just goes to show you about females! LOL