Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Significance of Brood

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Honeybee Nests

  • 1487 Accesses

Abstract

Differences in colony size among Apis species are not equated to the ratio of drones to workers or associated comb construction. Oviposition-related cell inspections reveal that a queen’s decision to lay a fertilized egg or not, is determined by a specific stimulus generated on cell inspection. Uncapped or sealed queen cells are correlated to a reduction in the number of new cell constructions, possibly pheromonally mediated. Relative increases in the physiological activity of the wax glands in queenright bees are related to the age of the workers. Capped brood and broodlessness dampen the development of wax glands, while the presence of open brood stimulates their development as under queenright conditions. Queenright bees produce much more comb than queenless bees; while queenless, broodright bees construct more comb than queenless, broodless bees. The amount of wax produced is a linear function of the number of young bees in a colony, but the greatest amount of wax produced/bee, relative to colony size, occurs in small colonies. Bees prevented from brood-rearing produce the same amount of wax as those engaged in both comb-building and brood-rearing. Colonies precluded from comb construction rear no more brood than those engaged both in brood-rearing and comb-building. The proportion of drone comb depends on the amount of drone comb present and the number of adult drones present in a colony, and is positively correlated to the number of workers. The combination of queenright and broodright colonies appears to be a more powerful stimulus than any other for comb-building.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 189.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 249.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 249.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Allen MD (1958) Drone brood in honey bee colonies. J Econ Entomol 51:46–48

    Google Scholar 

  • Allen MD (1963) Drone production in honey-bee colonies (Apis mellifera L.). Nature 199:789–790

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boehm B (1961) Beziehungen zwischen Fettkörper, Oenocyten und Wachsdrüsen Entwicklung bei Apis mellifica L. Natrurwissenschaften 21:1–3

    Google Scholar 

  • Boehm B (1965) Beziehungen zwischen Fettkörper, Oenocyten und Wachsdrüsen Entwicklung bei Apis mellifica L. Z Zellforsch Mikrosk Anat 65:74–115

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Butler C (1609) The feminine monarchie or a treatise concerning bees, and the due ordering of them. Joseph Barnes, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Cerimagic H (1969) Activity of the bee colony and relation thereof to intensity of wax production of the honey bee (Apis mellifica L.). In: 22nd international beekeeping congress, Apimonidia, Bucharest, pp 389–391

    Google Scholar 

  • De Groot AP (1953) Protein and amino acid requirements of the honeybee (Apis mellifica L). Physiol Comp Oecol 3:197–285

    Google Scholar 

  • De Layens G (1887) New experiments to determine the proportion of honey used by bees in the production of wax. Glean Bee Cult 15:171–172

    Google Scholar 

  • Dreischer H (1956) Untersuchungen über Arbeistatigkeit und Drüsenentwicklung Alterbestimmter Bienen im weisellosen Volk. Zool Jahrb Abt Allg Anat Ont Tiere 22:429–472

    Google Scholar 

  • Dżierzon J (1845) Gutachen über die von Hrn. Direktor Stöhr im ersten und zweiten Kapitel des General-Gutachens aufgestellten Fragen. Bienenzeitung Eichstädt 1:109–113, 119–121

    Google Scholar 

  • Dżierzon J (1847) Neue verbesserte Bienenzucht. Ernst, Quedlinburg

    Google Scholar 

  • Dżierzon J (1848) Theorie und Praxis des neuen Bienenfreundes. Brieg, Germany

    Google Scholar 

  • Dżierzon J (1861) Rationelle Bienenzucht oder Theorie und Praxis. Falch’sche Buchdrukererei, Brieg

    Google Scholar 

  • Fell RD, Morse RA (1984) Emergency queen cell production in the honey bee colony. Insectes Soc 31:221–237

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Free J (1967) The production of drone comb by honeybee colonies. J Apic Res 6:29–36

    Google Scholar 

  • Free JB, Williams IH (1975) Factors determining the rearing and rejection of drones by the honeybee colony. Anim Behav 23:650–675

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gessner B, Ruttner F (1977) Transfer der Spermatozoen in die Spermatheka der Bienenkönigin. Apidologie 8:1–18

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gundelach FW (1842) Die Naturgeschichte der Honigbbienen. JJ Bohne, Cassel

    Google Scholar 

  • Haydak MH (1970) Honey bee nutrition. Ann Rev Entomol 15:143–156

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hepburn HR, Crewe RM (1991) Portrait of the Cape honeybee, Apis mellifera capensis. Apidologie 22:567–580

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hepburn HR, Hugo J, Mitchell D, Nijland MJM, Scrimgeour A (1984) On the energetic costs of wax production by the African honeybee, Apis mellifera adansonii (= scutellata). S Afr J Sci 80:363–368

    Google Scholar 

  • Huber F (1814) Nouvelles observations sur les abeilles. English trans: (1926). Dadant, Hamilton

    Google Scholar 

  • Koch HG (1957) Zur Phänologie der Bienenvölker. Z Angew Met 3:33–43

    Google Scholar 

  • Koch HG (1959) Witterung und Nektartracht der Bienenvölker. Z Angew Met 3:278–292

    Google Scholar 

  • Koch HG (1961) Der Baubeginn der Bienenvölker als phänologisches Ereignis. Z Angew Met 4:69–82

    Google Scholar 

  • Koeniger N (1970) Über die Fähigkeit der Bienenkonigin (Apis mellifica L.) zwischen Arbeiterinnen- und Drohnenzelle zu Unterscheiden. Apidologie 1:115–142

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koeniger N, Koeniger G, Smith DR (2011) Phylogeny of the genus Apis. In: Hepburn HR, Radloff SE (eds) Honeybees of Asia. Springer, Berlin, pp 23–50

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Koeniger N, Veith HJ (1984) Spezifitat eines Brutpheromones und Brutterkennung be der Honihbiene (Apis mellifera L.). Apidologie 15:205–210

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lattorff HMG, Moritz RFA, Fuchs S (2005) A single locus determines thelytokous parthenogenesis of laying honeybee workers (Apis mellifera capensis). Heredity 94:533–537

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Le Conte Y, Arnold G, Trouiller J, Masson C, Chappe B (1990) Identification of a brood pheromone in honeybees. Naturwissenschaften 77:334–336

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levin MD, Nye WP, Knowlton GF (1954) Feeding pollen supplement and pollen substitute to honey bees. Utah Agrc Ext Bull 237

    Google Scholar 

  • Milum VG (1930) Variations in time of developememt of the honeybee. J Econ Entomol 23:441–447

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson JA, Sturtevant AP (1924) The rate of growth of the honeybee larva. Bull USDA 1222:1–24

    Google Scholar 

  • Neumann P, Hepburn HR, Radloff SE (2000) Modes of worker reproduction, reproductive dominance and brood cell construction in queenless honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies. Apidologie 31:479–486

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nolan WJ (1925) The brood-rearing cycle of the honeybee. Bull USDA 1349:1–56

    Google Scholar 

  • Ribbands CR (1953) The behaviour and social life of honeybees. Bee Research Association, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosch GA (1927) Über die Bautätigkeit im Bienenvolk und das Alter der Baubienen. Weiterer Beitrag zur Frage nach der Arbeitsteilung im Bienenstaat. Z Vergl Physiol 8:265–298

    Google Scholar 

  • Taranov GF (1958) Fundamental laws governing wax secretion by a honeybee colony. In: 17th international beekeeping congress, Bologna, vol 408, pp 1–6

    Google Scholar 

  • Taranov GF (1959) The production of wax in the honeybee colony. Bee Wld 40:113–123

    Google Scholar 

  • Todd FE, Bishop RK (1941) The role of pollen in the economy of the hive. US Bur Entomol Circ E536:1–9

    Google Scholar 

  • Verma S, Ruttner F (1983) Cytological analysis of the thelytokous parthenogenesis in the Cape honeybees (Apis mellifera capensis Escholtz). Apidologie 14:41–57

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • von Siebold CT (1856) Wahre Parthenogenesis bei Schmetterlingen und Bienen. Engelmann, Leipzig

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa

    H.R. Hepburn

  2. Department of Zoology and Entomology Social Insect Research Group, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

    C.W.W. Pirk

  3. King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand

    O. Duangphakdee

Authors
  1. H.R. Hepburn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. C.W.W. Pirk
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. O. Duangphakdee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to H.R. Hepburn .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Hepburn, H., Pirk, C., Duangphakdee, O. (2014). The Significance of Brood. In: Honeybee Nests. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-54328-9_7

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation