The success of a honey bee colony largely depends upon the reproductive capacity of the queen. Workers recognize when a queen's egg laying rate is declining and rear replacements while the failing queen is still present in the hive. Whether queens produce compounds that might be associated with their egg laying status is unknown. If queens emit compounds that are related to egg laying rates, there should be measurable changes in the amounts of those compounds depending upon the number of eggs queens lay. To determine if queens emit volatile compounds that are associated with egg laying, we collected samples of volatiles from queens having different egg laying states. We sampled volatiles produced by European and African virgin and mated queens and workers. We also collected samples of volatiles and recorded egg laying rates from queens that were free running in the hive, confined on empty comb where space for laying was not limited, and on comb foundation where queens could not lay. Worker behaviors toward queens in different egg laying states were recorded.