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Worker policing persists in a hopelessly queenless honey bee colony (Apis mellifera)
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posted on 2023-06-08, 09:18 authored by N Châline, S J Martin, Francis RatnieksIn queenright colonies of Apis mellifera, worker policing normally eliminates worker-laid eggs thereby preventing worker reproduction. However, in queenless colonies that have failed to rear a replacement queen, worker reproduction is normal. Worker policing is switched off, many workers have active ovaries and lay eggs, and the colony rears a last batch of male brood before dying out. Here we report a colony which, when hopelessly queenless, did not stop policing although a high proportion of workers had active ovaries (12.6%) and many eggs were laid. However, all these eggs and also worker-laid eggs transferred from another colony were policed. This unusual pattern was repeated eight weeks later by a second queenless colony made using worker bees from the same mother colony, which strongly suggests genetic determination.
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Publication status
- Published
Journal
Insectes SociauxISSN
0020-1812External DOI
Issue
2Volume
51Page range
113-116Pages
4.0Department affiliated with
- Evolution, Behaviour and Environment Publications
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- No
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2012-02-06Usage metrics
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