Experimentally induced variation in the physical reproductive potential and mating success in honey bee queens

Abstract

In honeybee colonies, reproduction is monopolized by the queen while her daughter workers are facultatively sterile. Caste determination is a consequence of environmental conditions during development, during which female larvae may become either queens or workers depending on their larval diet. This bipotency introduces significant variation in the reproductive potential of queen bees, with queens raised from young worker larvae exhibiting high reproductive potential and queens raised from older worker larvae exhibiting lower reproductive potential. We verify that low-quality queens are indeed produced from older worker larvae, as measured morphometrically (e.g., body size) and by stored sperm counts. We also show, for the first time, that low-quality queens mate with significantly fewer males, which significantly influences the resultant intracolony genetic diversity of the worker force of their future colonies. These results demonstrate a reproductive continuum of honeybee queens and provide insights into the reproductive constraints of social insects.

Effect of a Fungicide and Spray Adjuvant on Queen-Rearing Success in Honey Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

“…Some of these differences may be a result of the unbalanced design of the experiment and the fact that all treatments were not tested on all grafting dates. Much greater differences in thoracic width (0.24 mm) have been observed between "high" and "low" quality queens (Tarpy et al 2011). The lack of a doseÐre-sponse relationship between Pristine exposure and queen thoracic width, and the relatively small differences observed, suggest that the effects of Pristine and Break-Thru on queen size quality metrics are not great.…”

“…The lack of a doseÐre-sponse relationship between Pristine exposure and queen thoracic width, and the relatively small differences observed, suggest that the effects of Pristine and Break-Thru on queen size quality metrics are not great. However, both products could affect other aspects of queen qualityÑmating frequency, sperm storage, and longevityÑthrough mechanisms unrelated to queen size (Tarpy et al 2011.…”

<b>Morphometric measurements of Africanized honeybee queens kept in an incubator or in queen banking

“…However, with Africanized honeybee queens, Souza et al (2013) found values of 180 to 200 mg, while Tarpy et al (2011; reported values of 206.6 and 218.7 mg for European honeybee queens. Even with lower weight of European honeybee queens, they showed a more hygienic behavior, once their infestation index by Varroa destructor is lower compared with the European queen (Guerra Júnior et al, 2010).…”

Experimental evaluation of the reproductive quality of Africanized queen bees (Apis mellifera) on the basis of body weight at emergence

“…This hypothesis links to the stated differences in the diameter and volume of the spermatheca; whereby, heavy queens are larger and able to store more sperm, and hence mate with a greater number of drones compared to light-weight queens. Consequently, heavy queens should produce more robust colonies, with greater genetic variation (Woyke, 1967;Page, 2000, Kraus et al, 2005;Kahya et al, 2008;Tarpy et al, 2011). This increase in diversity should produce a more robust colony that is able to survive a broader range of environmental pressures (Oldroyd and Fewell, 2007).…”