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Variation in worker response to honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) queen mandibular pheromone (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

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Abstract

Genetic and environmental influences on the worker honey bee retinue response to queen mandibular gland pheromone (QMP) were investigated. Worker progeny were reared from queens originating from four sources: Australia, New Zealand, and two locations in British Columbia, Canada (Simon Fraser University and Vancouver Island). Progeny from New Zealand queens responded significantly higher (P < 0.05) than progeny from Australia in a QMP retinue bioassay. Retinue response was not related to queen production of pheromone or colony environment, and the strain-dependent differences in retinue bioassay responses were maintained over a wide range of dosages. Selected high- and low-responding colonies were bioassayed over the course of 1 year. High-responding colonies contacted QMP lures more frequently than low-responding colonies (P < 0.05) throughout the year except in late summer. We conclude that there is a strong genetic component to QMP response by worker honey bees, as well as a seasonal effect on response.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, V5A 1S6, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

    T. Pankiw & M. L. Winston

  2. Department of Chemistry, Simon Fraser University, V5A 1S6, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

    K. N. Slessor

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  1. T. Pankiw
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Pankiw, T., Winston, M.L. & Slessor, K.N. Variation in worker response to honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) queen mandibular pheromone (Hymenoptera: Apidae). J Insect Behav 7, 1–15 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01989823

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