Worker reproduction in Austroplebeia australis Friese (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponini)

Summary:

Two DNA microsatellite markers were used to assess the effective number of mating and the maternity of males in two colonies of Austroplebeia australis (Hymenoptera, Meliponini). In both colonies, the worker genotypes indicated that a single male had inseminated the queens, and the male genotypes indicated that the queens had produced the majority of the males sampled. These results are contrary to the widespread idea that workers would reproduce more readily in monandrous colonies. Possibly, alternative mechanisms such as queen policing, which hinders worker reproduction, might be evolved within this stingless bee taxon.