Worker policing and worker reproduction in Apis cerana

Workers of the Asian hive bee, Apis cerana, are shown to have relatively hi gh rates of worker ovary activation. In colonies with an active queen and b rood nest, 1-5% of workers have eggs in their ovarioles. When A. cerana col onies are dequeened, workers rapidly activate their ovaries. After 4 days 1 5% have activated ovaries and after 6 days, 40%. A cerana police worker-lai d eggs in the same way that A. florea and A. mellifera do, but are perhaps slightly more tolerant of worker-laid eggs than the other species. Neverthe less, no worker's sons were detected in a sample of 652 pupal males sampled from 4 queenright colonies. A cerana continue to police worker-laid eggs, even after worker oviposition has commenced in a queenless colony.