Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Pollination and Flower Structure02:40

Pollination and Flower Structure

Flowers are the reproductive, seed-producing structures of angiosperms. Typically, flowers consist of sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels. Sepals and petals are the vegetative flower organs. Stamens and carpels are the reproductive organs.
Cleavage and Blastulation01:33

Cleavage and Blastulation

After a large-single-celled zygote is produced via fertilization, the process of cleavage occurs while zygotes travel through the uterine tube. Cleavage is a mitotic cell division that does not result in growth. With each round of successive cell division, daughter cells get increasingly smaller.
Morphogenesis02:19

Morphogenesis

Plant morphogenesis—the development of a plant’s form and structure—involves several overlapping developmental processes, including growth and cell differentiation. Precursor cells differentiate into specific cell types, which are organized into the tissues and organ systems that make up the functional plant.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Effects of Carbon Dioxide on Hemolymph and Brain Proteomes in Honey Bee Workers (<i>Apis mellifera</i> L.).

Insects·2026
Same author

Modified Surgical Technique Combined with Radiation Therapy for Keloid Management.

Aesthetic plastic surgery·2026
Same author

Analysis of Amino Acid, Vitamin, and Mineral Content in Chinese Gallnut (<i>Rhus chinensis</i> Mill.) Honey from Guizhou Province.

Foods (Basel, Switzerland)·2026
Same author

Alzheimer's disease and apitherapy: the therapeutic effect of various honeybee products.

Neurodegenerative disease management·2026
Same author

Proteome Unravels Mechanism Differences in Embryogenesis Between Honey Bee Drone and Worker (Apis mellifera L.).

Molecular & cellular proteomics : MCP·2026
Same author

Health management strategies of resilient honey bee stock throughout Southern California.

Journal of economic entomology·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Assessing Agrochemical Risk to Mated Honey Bee Queens
08:49

Assessing Agrochemical Risk to Mated Honey Bee Queens

Published on: March 3, 2021

Queen cell architecture shapes honey bee queen development.

Yu Fang1, Beibei Ma1, Xiaolu Jin2

  • 1State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China.

Nature
|June 3, 2026
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Honey bee workers actively engineer queen cells, creating a unique microenvironment crucial for queen development. This construction behavior directly influences larval fate and developmental plasticity.

More Related Videos

Preparation of Single-cohort Colonies and Hormone Treatment of Worker Honeybees to Analyze Physiology Associated with Role and/or Endocrine System
08:53

Preparation of Single-cohort Colonies and Hormone Treatment of Worker Honeybees to Analyze Physiology Associated with Role and/or Endocrine System

Published on: September 6, 2016

Induction and Evaluation of Inbreeding Crosses Using the Ant, Vollenhovia Emeryi
06:44

Induction and Evaluation of Inbreeding Crosses Using the Ant, Vollenhovia Emeryi

Published on: October 5, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Assessing Agrochemical Risk to Mated Honey Bee Queens
08:49

Assessing Agrochemical Risk to Mated Honey Bee Queens

Published on: March 3, 2021

Preparation of Single-cohort Colonies and Hormone Treatment of Worker Honeybees to Analyze Physiology Associated with Role and/or Endocrine System
08:53

Preparation of Single-cohort Colonies and Hormone Treatment of Worker Honeybees to Analyze Physiology Associated with Role and/or Endocrine System

Published on: September 6, 2016

Induction and Evaluation of Inbreeding Crosses Using the Ant, Vollenhovia Emeryi
06:44

Induction and Evaluation of Inbreeding Crosses Using the Ant, Vollenhovia Emeryi

Published on: October 5, 2018

Area of Science:

  • Insect behavior
  • Developmental biology
  • Social insect ecology

Background:

  • Nest architecture in social insects is typically seen as static.
  • The role of the physicochemical microenvironment in caste determination is understudied.
  • Previous research on honey bee queen development focused on genetics and nutrition, not nest structure.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how worker construction behavior shapes the physicochemical microenvironment of queen cells.
  • To determine if this engineered environment is essential for queen development in honey bees.
  • To establish a mechanistic link between social construction and developmental plasticity.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of queen and worker cell properties (mechanical and chemical).
  • Observation of worker construction behavior and associated physiological/transcriptomic changes.
  • Experimental manipulation of the larval rearing environment.

Main Results:

  • Queen cells possess distinct mechanical and chemical properties compared to worker cells.
  • Worker construction behavior is deliberate and involves physiological and transcriptomic reprogramming.
  • Physicochemical cues within queen cells are causally required for normal queen development.
  • These cues act as a critical checkpoint influencing larval development and fate.

Conclusions:

  • Worker construction behavior actively engineers a physicochemical niche essential for honey bee queen development.
  • Social construction behavior directly influences developmental plasticity by channeling organismal fate.
  • The engineered nest environment plays a crucial role in determining an individual's development within a social insect colony.