GROWTH IN BUMBLE BEE LARVAE - RELATION BETWEEN DEVELOPMENT TIME, MASS, AND AMOUNT OF POLLEN INGESTED

The development of worker, male, and queen larvae of Bombus terrestris was analysed by measuring their mass and the amount of pollen they ha d ingested. The three kinds of larvae grew significantly differently. Workers and queens differed strongly in their growth from the beginnin g of the larval stage. On the other hand, males and queens were more s imilar in their development. Furthermore, during the later stages, pol len played a less important role in the increase of the queens' mass, which indicates that a different mechanism is probably involved in the ir growth. Two hypotheses are discussed: either there is a difference in the queens' metabolism or they receive a different diet, which impr oves their growth.