Regulation of ovary activation in worker honey-bees (Apis mellifera): larval signal production and adult response thresholds differ between anarchistic and wild-type bees

One-day-old anarchistic (selected for successful worker reproduction) and w ild-type honey-bee workers were introduced into queenright colonies of hone ybees of two treatments. In treatment 1, all eggs and larvae were offspring of queens from an anarchistic line. In treatment 2, all eggs and larvae we re offspring of wildtype queens. In both treatments, adult workers were wil d type. This experimental arrangement was used to test the importance of la rval genotype on ovary activation in young adult workers. After 12 days, th e introduced bees were dissected to determine the frequency of ovary activa tion. In those colonies provided with wild-type brood, 0% of introduced wil d-type bees and 16% of anarchistic bees had activated ovaries. In those col onies provided with anarchistic brood, 13% of introduced wild-type bees and 41% of anarchistic bees had activated ovaries. These results strongly supp ort the hypothesis that selection for high levels of worker reproduction in anarchistic stocks has reduced the amount or composition of brood pheromon es produced by larvae that normally signal workers to refrain from reproduc tion. They also suggest that anarchistic workers have a higher threshold fo r these signals than wild-type bees.