EFFECTS OF SOCIAL-ENVIRONMENT AND WORKER MANDIBULAR GLANDS ON ENDOCRINE-MEDIATED BEHAVIORAL-DEVELOPMENT IN HONEY-BEES

Previous studies suggest that older honey bee workers possess an inhib itory signal that regulates behavioral development in younger bees. To study how this inhibitor is transmitted, bees were reared for 7 days in double-screen cages, single-screen cages, or unrestricted in a typi cal colony (control bees). Double-screen cages prevented physical cont act with colony members while single-screen cages allowed only antenna tion and food exchange. Bees reared in double-screen cages showed acce lerated endocrine and behavioral development; they had significantly h igher rates of juvenile hormone biosynthesis and juvenile hormone tite rs than did control bees and also were more likely to become precociou s foragers. Relative to the other two groups, bees reared in single-sc reen cages showed intermediate juvenile hormone biosynthesis rates and titers, and intermediate rates of behavioral development. These resul ts indicate that physical contact is required for total inhibition. We also began to test the hypothesis that worker mandibular glands are t he sources of an inhibitory signal. Old bees with mandibular glands re moved were significantly less inhibitory towards young bees than were sham-operated and unoperated bees. These results suggest that an inhib itor is produced by the worker mandibular glands.