Hr. Lin et Ml. Winston, The role of nutrition and temperature in the ovarian development of the worker honey bee (Apis mellifera), CAN ENTOMOL, 130(6), 1998, pp. 883-891
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.