A stereological analysis of developing egg chambers in the honeybee queen, Apis mellifera

A polytrophic ovariole of the queen honeybee, Apis mellifera, is composed of a linear series of increasingly mature egg chambers, each consisting of an oocyte, an interconnected cluster of nurse cells, and a covering layer of follicle cells. This study describes changes in the volume of each of these components, as a function of the position of the egg chamber in the ovariole. An oocyte increases in volume from approximately 8.9 x 10(3) micrometers3 to approximately 9.6 x 10(6) micrometers3 over an average series of 20 egg chambers.