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Effects of reproductive timing and colony size on the survival, offspring colony size and drone production in the honey bee (Apis mellifera)
Author(s) -
LEE PHILIP C.,
WINSTON MARK L.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
ecological entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.865
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1365-2311
pISSN - 0307-6946
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2311.1987.tb00997.x
Subject(s) - swarming (honey bee) , biology , drone , offspring , honey bee , zoology , nest (protein structural motif) , swarm behaviour , reproduction , honey bees , aculeata , ecology , hymenoptera , botany , genetics , pregnancy , biochemistry
. 1. The effects of colony size and time of reproduction on the survival and size of offspring colonies and on drone production were examined for honey bees, Apis mellifera L. Drone and worker production and survival of parental and offspring colonies were monitored following swarming. Also, the temporal patterns of drone emergence and availability of unmated queens were examined. 2. Colony size at swarming was positively correlated with the number of workers invested in offspring colonies and the number of queens produced. However, colony size at swarming was not correlated with the number of offspring colonies produced. 3. Swarm size was positively correlated with drone and worker production after swarms were hived. Worker production of hived swarms was positively correlated with colony survival. Offspring queens which inherited a parental nest survived longer than queens in either primary swarms or afterswarms, presumably due to the advantage of inheriting a nest. 4. Drone emergence peaked just prior to swarming, the time when unmated queens were available. High drone production by colonies initiated by swarms probably reflected an attempt to reproduce prior to winter. The probabilities of a second swarming cycle within the same year and of surviving the winter were low for colonies initiated from swarms.