queen bee

Noun

queen bee (plural queen bees)

1. A reproductive female (especially the only one) in a colony of bees.
   • It is generally believed that the queen bee mates only once in her lifetime.1947, AI Root, The ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture, Kessinger, published 2005, page 205

   Synonyms:

   beemother

2. (colloquial, derogatory, idiomatic) The most important or dominant woman in an organization or situation.
   • She wrote very generously to aspiring women writers, gave them good advice, took time to read their manuscripts and comments, and warmly applauded their successes. There is not a hint of the Queen Bee in the attitude toward other women writers.1981 February 14, Peg Cruikshank, “The Warmth Shines Through”, in Gay Community News, volume 8, number 29, page 15
   • She muttered to her mother, “There's that obnoxious redhead who thought she was the Queen Bee last year when she was a senior!”2003, Jim Hatfield, Extra Marital Temptations, iUniverse, page 28
3. (figuratively) A stem cell.