Honeybee workers (Apis mellifera capensis) compete for producing queen‘like pheromone signals

Physical fights are the usual means of establishing dominance hierarchies in animal societies. This form of dominance behaviour is most strongly expressed in honeybee queens who engage in fights to the death to establish themselves in the colony. Workers can also compete for reproductive dominance r...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences Biological sciences, 2004-02, Vol.271 (Suppl 3), p.S98-S100
Main Authors: Moritz, Robin F A, Lattorff, H Michael G, Crewe, Robin M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Apidae
Apis mellifera capensis
Bees - physiology
Competitive Behavior - physiology
Fatty Acids - secretion
Honey bee colonies
Honey bees
Insect behavior
Insect reproduction
Mandibular glands
Pheromones
Pheromones - secretion
Queen honey bees
Queens
Reproduction - physiology
Sexual Behavior, Animal - physiology
Social Dominance
Social insects
Time Factors
Worker insects
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Summary:Physical fights are the usual means of establishing dominance hierarchies in animal societies. This form of dominance behaviour is most strongly expressed in honeybee queens who engage in fights to the death to establish themselves in the colony. Workers can also compete for reproductive dominance resulting in the establishment of stable hierarchies. They do not engage each other physically, but use pheromones that mimic those produced by queens. The dynamics of pheromone production in paired workers suggests that they engage in a pheromonal contest. Because queen pheromones suppress ovary activation, the contest results in the sterility of the loser.
ISSN:0962-8452
1471-2954
DOI:10.1098/rsbl.2003.0113