The role of nutrition and temperature in the ovarian development of the worker honey bee (Apis mellifera)

Queenless, caged, newly emerged worker bees (Apis mellifera L.) were fed ho ney, 22 and 40% pollen in honey, and 22 and 40% royal jelly in honey for 14 days. Workers fed royal jelly, pollen, and honey had large, medium, and sm all ovaries; respectively. Royal jelly had higher nutritive value for worke rs' ovarian development than did pollen, possibly because royal jelly is pr edigested by nurse bees and easily used by adult and larval bees. These res ults suggest that nurse bees could mediate workers' ovarian development in colonies via trophallactic exchange of royal jelly. Six levels of royal jel ly in honey, 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100% (royal jelly without honey), were tested for their effects on workers' ovarian development and mortality for 10 days. High levels of royal jelly increased ovarian development, but also increased worker mortality. All caged bees treated with 100% royal jelly d ied within 3 days. When workers were incubated at 20, 27, and 34 degrees C for 10 days, only bees at 34 degrees C developed ovaries. These findings su ggest that nurse bees functioning as units which digest pollen and produce royal jelly may feed some potentially egg-laying workers in a brood chamber with royal jelly when a queen is lost in a colony. Feeding workers a diet of 50% royal jelly in honey and incubating at 34 degrees C for 10 days is r ecommended for tests of ovarian development.