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EFFECT OF QUEEN MANDIBULAR PHEROMONE ON INITIATION AND MAINTENANCE OF QUEEN CELLS IN THE HONEY BEE (APIS MELLIFERA L.)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2012

A.P. Melathopoulos ,
M.L. Winston ,
J.S. Pettis  and
T. Pankiw
A.P. Melathopoulos
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A 1S6
M.L. Winston
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A 1S6
J.S. Pettis
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A 1S6
T. Pankiw
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A 1S6
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Abstract

Adding queen mandibular pheromone into honey bee colonies earlier than 24 h after queen loss resulted in an inhibition of queen-rearing, but not when added after 4 days. The number of queen cells initiated in each treatment decreased with the addition of the pheromone, although there were no effects on the number of queen cells torn down following pheromone treatment. The effect of adding the pheromone to queenless colonies given newly hatched female larvae under different regimens of queen cell provisioning and cell structure also was investigated. Only colonies in which larvae were presented in unmodified worker comb exhibited significantly lower rates of queen-rearing. Results indicate that queen mandibular pheromone inhibits the initiation of queen-rearing but not the maintenance of established cells.

Résumé

Nous avons étudié qu’avait l’addition d’une phéromone synthétique de la glande mandibulaire de reine d’abeille sur des colonies privées de reines pour des durées variables. La phéromone inhibait la production des cellules royales si on l’introduisait dans la colonie moins d’un jour après la perte de sa reine, mais pas après 4 jours d’orphelinage. Le nombre de cellules royales initiées après chaque traitement était diminué par l’addition de la phéromone, mais il n’y avait aucun effet sur le nombre de cellules royales détruites après l’addition de la phéromone. Nous avons aussi étudié l’effet qu’avait l’addition de la phéromone à des colonies orphelines auxquelles on fournissait des larves femelles nous-nées sous différentes conditions d’approvisionnement des cellules royales et de stucture de cellules. Les colonies dans lesquelles les larves étaient placées dans des alvéoles non modifiées d’ouvrières étaient les seules dont les taux de production de cellules royales étaient réduits de façon significative. Ces résultats démontrent que la phéromone de la glande mandibulaire de reine inhibe l’initiation de la production des cellules royales, mais non l’entretien des cellules royales déjà établies.

Type
Articles
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 128 , Issue 2 , April 1996 , pp. 263 - 272
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 1996

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