Variation in worker response to honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) queen mandibular pheromone (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

AbstractWe investigated the effects of synthetic honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) queen mandibular gland pheromone on colony foraging and brood rearing. Colonies newly established in the spring showed a significant, dose-dependent increase in the number of foragers gathering pollen, and individual pollen foragers returned to the nest with larger pollen loads. These two effects combined resulted in a doubling of the amount of pollen brought into colonies by foraging bees. Brood rearing also increased, but not significantly. In contrast, large, established colonies showed no effects at their summer population peak. We conclude that queen mandibular pheromone can significantly affect foraging, but its effects depend on colony conditions and environmental factors.

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The effects of honey bee (Apis mellifera)queen mandibular pheromone on colony defensive behaviour

Journal of Apicultural Research ◽

10.1080/00218839.2005.11101175 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 44 (4) ◽

pp. 175-179 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Nicole L Gervan ◽

Mark L Winston ◽

Heather A Higo ◽

Shelley E R Hoover

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Defensive Behaviour ◽

Queen Mandibular Pheromone

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The role of queen mandibular pheromone and colony congestion in honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) reproductive swarming (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Journal of Insect Behavior ◽

10.1007/bf01048076 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 4 (5) ◽

pp. 649-660 ◽

Cited By ~ 44

Author(s):

Mark L. Winston ◽

Heather A. Higo ◽

Simon J. Colley ◽

Tanya Pankiw ◽

Keith N. Slessor

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Queen Mandibular Pheromone

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

The Canadian Entomologist ◽

10.4039/ent128263-2 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 128 (2) ◽

pp. 263-272 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

A.P. Melathopoulos ◽

M.L. Winston ◽

J.S. Pettis ◽

T. Pankiw

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Cell Structure ◽

Queen Mandibular Pheromone ◽

Queen Rearing ◽

Queen Cell ◽

Bee Colonies

AbstractAdding 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.

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