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Lethal fighting between honeybee queens and parasitic workers (Apis mellifera)
Robin F A Moritz1, Jochen Pflugfelder, Robin M Crewe
1Institut für Zoologie, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle/Wittenberg, Kröllwitzer Strasse 44, 06099 Halle/Saale, Germany. r.moritz@zoologie.uni-halle.de
Die Naturwissenschaften
|September 5, 2003
Summary
Anarchic Cape honeybee workers can become pseudoqueens, triggering lethal fights with the true queen. These fights can result in the death of either the queen or the worker bee.
Area of Science:
- Social insects
- Behavioral ecology
- Chemical ecology
Background:
- Queen and worker policing, mediated by pheromones, normally suppress worker reproduction in honeybee colonies.
- Anarchic workers, capable of evading these social controls, exist at low frequencies in some populations.
- Cape honeybees (Apis mellifera capensis) exhibit an extreme form of this anarchic trait.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the behavioral interactions between reproductive usurper workers (pseudoqueens) and genuine queens in the Cape honeybee.
- To determine the outcome of confrontations between pseudoqueens and queens in an experimental setting.
Main Methods:
- Experimental bioassay using Cape honeybee workers and queens.
- Observation and analysis of lethal fights initiated by pseudoqueens against queens.
Main Results:
- Anarchic Cape honeybee workers develop into pseudoqueens, emitting queen-like pheromones.
- Pseudoqueens elicit queen-like responses in sterile workers, including suppressed ovary activation and retinue behavior.
- Lethal fights occur between pseudoqueens and queens, with either the queen or the pseudoqueen being killed.
Conclusions:
- Pseudoqueens pose a significant threat to queen survival in Cape honeybee colonies.
- The anarchic trait in Apis mellifera capensis can lead to direct conflict and mortality within the colony social structure.
- Understanding these interactions is crucial for comprehending honeybee colony dynamics and social regulation.