Juvenile hormone profiles of worker honey bees, Apis mellifera, during normal and accelerated behavioural development

Juvenile hormone III (JH) haemolymph titres were quantified in adult worker honey bees under colony conditions conducive to either typical or accelera ted behavioural development. JH titres of bees under conditions of accelera ted behavioural development were significantly higher than same-aged bees u nder more typical conditions, even before the onset of foraging. These resu lts are consistent with previous findings indicating that JH plays a causal role in timing the onset of foraging behaviour in honey bees. We also dete cted a peak of JH in 2-3 day old adult bees, the significance of which is u nknown. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.