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Reproductive responses to photoperiod and temperature by artificially hibernated bumblebee ( Bombus terrestris ) queens
Author(s) -
AMIN Md. Ruhul,
SUH Sang Jae,
KWON Yong Jung
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
entomological research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.421
H-Index - 20
eISSN - 1748-5967
pISSN - 1738-2297
DOI - 10.1111/j.1748-5967.2008.00181.x
Subject(s) - bumblebee , bombus terrestris , biology , photoperiodism , hibernation (computing) , zoology , ecology , horticulture , pollination , pollinator , pollen , state (computer science) , algorithm , computer science
Post‐hibernated bumblebee ( Bombus terrestris ) queens were kept for 1 week under photoperiodic conditions of 8 h light : 16 h dark, and at four different temperatures (24, 28, 32 and 36°C). The reproductive performance of the queens was then observed. It was found that exposure temperature and hibernation duration did not affect the oviposition rate. The pre‐oviposition period was found to be shortest (3.8 ± 0.7 days) for queens that had hibernated for 4.0 months and had been activated at 28°C. Timing of the initiation of the switch‐point was not affected by exposure temperature and hibernation duration. Significantly higher numbers of workers (268.0 ± 31.4) and sexual queens (119.3 ± 16.8) were produced by the queens that had hibernated for 3.0 months and had been activated at 28 and 36°C, respectively. The queens that had hibernated for 4.0 months and had been activated at 36°C produced the highest number of males (296.2 ± 32.3).