Effects of rearing method on some morphological and reproductive organ characteristics of queen honey bees (Apis mellifera L.)

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate some of the morphological and reproductive characteristics of the queen honey bees rearing from emergency queen cells and larvae grafting method. The weight at the emergence of queens reared from one-day larvae was found to be higher than other groups (P <0.05). Morphological characteristics of queens according to rearing method showed significant differences of head width, forewing length and forewing width (P <0.05), whereas other morphological characteristics were found similar in different queen groups. No significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of cell length and width (P > 0.05). Wet ovary weights of the queens were weighed at 45, 51, and 49 mg rearing from emergency cells, 1-day-old and 2-day-old larvae, respectively. The number of ovarioles and spermatheca diameter of queens were found to be 268 and 1.14 mm, 296 and 1.21 mm, 285, and 1.16 mm rearing from emergency cells, 1-day-old and 2-day-old larvae, respectively (P <0.05). Consequently, the morphological and reproductive characteristics of queens reared from one-day-old larvae have higher values. According to the results of the study, although some morphological and reproductive features of local queens have low values, their importance should not be ignored in the sustainable future of beekeeping.

The relationship between the internal and external morphological parameters of honeybee queens (Hymenoptera: Apidae) and the determination of morphological variation

“…The averages of the right forewing length and the right forewing width were lower than the results of the study by Okuyan &Akyol (2018) andFaccini et al (2021) and similar to the results of the study by Al-Sarhan et al (2019). According to the results of a previous study (Ozmen Ozbakır, 2021), the right forewing and the hindwing characteristics were similar to the results of the current study, while the right hindleg length was found to be higher in the current study.…”

“…In the study, the weight of the queens at emergence differed according to the rearing periods and the general average was found to be similar to the queens from the Anatolian bee, Muğla ecotype, in the medium weight group (Akyol et al, 2008) and the queens reared from one-day old larvae (Okuyan & Akyol, 2018). In a previous study, similar results were obtained in the averages of the emergence weight of the queens reared from 1-day old larvae (Ozmen Ozbakır, 2021). The live weight of the queens varied between 171-223 mg in the queens obtained from commercial queen rearing enterprises (Arslan et al, 2021).…”

Conservation of Local Honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) in Southeastern Turkey: A Preliminary Study for Morphological Characterization and Determination of Colony Performance

“…The weight at the emergence of the queen is affected by many factors, such as genotype, larval age, rearing season, condition of the foster colonies, and environmental conditions, and it shows variation [ 1 , 55 , 56 , 57 ]. For the Adıyaman honeybees, the weight at the emergence of the queen in 2020 varied between 169 and 175 mg; this result is compatible with the results reported by [ 58 , 59 , 60 ]. On the other hand, it is lower than the results reported by [ 61 , 62 , 63 ].…”