A honeybee hive consists of about 40,000 workers, 500 drones and 1 queen. The drones and workers live about 30 days, but the queen can live up to 7 years. Her longevity is related to the consumption of royal jelly during her gestation period. While the drones and workers receive royal jelly for the first 3 days, the queen consumes royal jelly during her entire gestation.