This is not the plot of a new Game of Thrones spinoff, but a common and violent reality in honey bee colonies. As with any coups, the plans come with risks and rewards for bee colonies and the wide food systems that depend on them for pollination. When methyl oleate levels drop, the worker bees can “smell” the queen’s weakness–and begin preparing her successor to rule. Queen honey bee marked with a blue heart. In proof-of-concept field trials, colonies were given synthetic pheromone blends that included the pheromone methyl oleate.