Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-c47g7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-19T16:19:29.160Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Body mass but not wing size or symmetry correlates with life span of honey bee drones

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 September 2018

K. Czekońska ,
H. Szentgyörgyi Open the ORCID record for H. Szentgyörgyi [Opens in a new window]  and
A. Tofilski Open the ORCID record for A. Tofilski [Opens in a new window]
K. Czekońska
Affiliation:
Department of Pomology and Apiculture, Faculty of Biotechnology and Horticulture, University of Agriculture in Kraków, Al. 29. Listopada 54, 31-425, Kraków, Poland
H. Szentgyörgyi*
Affiliation:
Department of Pomology and Apiculture, Faculty of Biotechnology and Horticulture, University of Agriculture in Kraków, Al. 29. Listopada 54, 31-425, Kraków, Poland
A. Tofilski
Affiliation:
Department of Pomology and Apiculture, Faculty of Biotechnology and Horticulture, University of Agriculture in Kraków, Al. 29. Listopada 54, 31-425, Kraków, Poland
*
*Author for correspondence Phone: +48-12-662 50 69 Fax: +48 12 662 52 26 E-mail: hajnalka.szentgyorgyi@urk.edu.pl
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

In social insects such as the honey bee, the quality of drones at the time of their emergence can affect their maintenance in the colony until maturity. Body mass, wing size and wing asymmetry of emerging honey bee drones were measured and correlated with their life span in the colony and compared between individuals reaching maturity or not. The life span of drones differed among colonies in which they were maintained after emergence but not between colonies in which they were reared. More drones heavier at emergence reached sexual maturity at 15 days and had a longer life span compared with light-weight drones of lower mass. The size and symmetry of drone forewings was not correlated with their life span. Our results suggest that body mass at emergence is a good predictor of drone survival in the colony.

Keywords

Apis melliferadronesbody masslife span
Type
Research Papers
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 109 , Issue 3 , June 2019 , pp. 383 - 389
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abaga, N.O.Z., Alibert, P., Dousset, S., Savadogo, P.W., Savadogo, M. & Sedogo, M. (2011) Insecticide residues in cotton soils of Burkina Faso and effects of insecticides on fluctuating asymmetry in honey bees (Apis mellifera Linnaeus). Chemosphere 83(4), 585–592.Google Scholar
Abdelkader, F.B., Kairo, G., Tchamitchian, S., Cousin, M., Senechal, J., Crauser, D., Le Conte, Y., Belzunces, L.P., Barbouche, N. & Brunet, J.L. (2014) Semen quality of honey bee drones maintained from emergence to sexual maturity under laboratory, semi-field and field conditions. Apidologie 45(2), 215–223.Google Scholar
Baer, B. (2005) Sexual selection in Apis bees. Apidologie 36, 187–200.Google Scholar
Berg, S. (1991) Investigation on rates of large and small drones at a drone congregation area. Apidologie 22(4), 437–438.Google Scholar
Berg, S., Koeniger, N., Koeniger, G. & Fuchs, S. (1997) Body size and reproductive success of drones (Apis mellifera L). Apidologie 28, 449–460.Google Scholar
Boes, K.E. (2010) Honeybee colony drone production and maintenance in accordance with environmental factors: an interplay of queen and worker decisions. Insectes Sociaux 57, 1–9.Google Scholar
Brodschneider, R. & Crailsheim, K. (2010) Nutrition and health in honey bees. Apidologie 41, 278–229.Google Scholar
Brückner, D. (1976) The influence of genetic variability on wing symmetry in honeybees (Apis mellifera). Evolution 30(1), 100–108.Google Scholar
Couvillon, M.J., Hughes, W.O., Perez-Sato, J.A., Martin, S.J., Roy, G.G. & Ratnieks, F.L. (2010) Sexual selection in honey bees: colony variation and the importance of size in male mating success. Behavioural Ecology 21(3), 520–525.Google Scholar
Crailsheim, K. & Hrassnig, N. (1998) Adaptation of hypopharyngeal gland development to the brood status of honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies. Journal of Insect Physiology 44(10), 929–939.Google Scholar
Czekońska, K., Chuda-Mickiewicz, B. & Chorbiński, P. (2013) The effect of brood incubation temperature on the reproductive value of honey bee (Apis mellifera). Journal of Apicultural Research 52, 96–105.Google Scholar
Czekońska, K., Chuda-Mickiewicz, B. & Samborski, J. (2015) Quality of honeybee drones reared in colonies with limited and unlimited access to pollen. Apidologie 46(1), 1–9.Google Scholar
Dietemann, V., Nazzi, F., Martin, S.J., Anderson, D.L., Locke, B., Delaplane, K.S., Wauquiez, Q., Tannahill, C., Frey, E., Ziegelmann, B., Rosenkranz, P. & Ellis, J.D. (2013) Standard methods for Varroa research. Journal of Apicultural Research 52(1), 1–54.Google Scholar
Dryden, I.L. & Mardia, K.V. (1998) Statistical Shape Analysis. Chichester, John Wiley and Sons.Google Scholar
Duay, P., De Jong, D. & Engels, W. (2003) Weight loss in drone pupae (Apis mellifera) multiply infested by Varroa destructor mites. Apidologie 34, 61–65.Google Scholar
Es'kov, E.K. & Es'kova, M.D. (2013) Factors influencing wing size and body weight variation in the Western honey bee. Russian Journal of Ecology 44(5), 433–438.Google Scholar
Free, J.B. (1957) The food of adult drone honeybees (Apis mellifera). British Journal of Animal Behaviour 5, 7–11.Google Scholar
Free, J.B. & Williams, I.H. (1975) Factors determining the rearing and rejection of drones by the honeybee colony. Animal Behavior 23(3), 650–675.Google Scholar
Fukuda, H. & Ohtani, T. (1977) Survival and life span of drone honeybees. Researches on Population Ecology 19(1), 51–68.Google Scholar
Gençer, H.V. & Firatli, Ç. (2005) Reproductive and morphological comparisons of drones reared in queenright and laying worker colonies. Journal of Apicultural Research 44(4), 163–167.Google Scholar
Gençer, H.V. & Kahya, Y. (2011) Are sperm traits of drones (Apis mellifera L.) from laying worker colonies noteworthy? Journal of Apicultural Research 50(2), 130–137.Google Scholar
Goins, A. & Schneider, S.S. (2013) Drone “quality” and caste interactions in the honey bee, Apis mellifera L. Insectes Sociaux 60(4), 453–461.Google Scholar
Graham, J.H., Raz, S., Hel-Or, H. & Nevo, E. (2010) Fluctuating asymmetry: methods, theory, and applications. Symmetry 2(2), 466–540.Google Scholar
Haydak, M.H. (1970) Honey bee nutrition. Annual Review of Entomology 15(1), 143–156.Google Scholar
Honěk, A. (1993) Intraspecific variation in body size and fecundity in insects: a general relationship. OIKOS 66, 483–449.Google Scholar
Hrassnigg, N. & Crailsheim, K. (2005) Differences in drone and worker physiology in honeybees (Apis mellifera). Apidologie 36, 255–277.Google Scholar
Jaffé, R. & Moritz, R.F.A. (2010) Mating flights select for symmetry in honeybee drones (Apis mellifera). Naturwissenschaften 9(3), 337–343.Google Scholar
Jaycox, E.R. (1961) The effects of various foods and temperatures on sexual maturity of the drone honey bee (Apis mellifera). Annals of the Entomological Society of America 54(4), 519–523.Google Scholar
Klingenberg, C.P. (2011) Morphoj: an integrated software package for geometric morphometrics. Molecular Ecological Resources 11(2), 353–357.Google Scholar
Koeniger, N., Koeniger, G., Gries, M. & Tingek, S. (2005) Drone competition at drone congregation areas in four Apis species. Apidologie 36, 211–221.Google Scholar
Mazeed, A.M. (2011) Morphometry and number of spermatozoa in drone honeybees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) reared under different conditions. European Journal of Entomology 108, 673–676.Google Scholar
Mazeed, A.M. & Mohanny, K.M. (2010) Some reproductive characteristics of honeybee drones in relation to their ages. Entomological Research 40, 245–250.Google Scholar
Niño, E.L. & Jasper, W.C. (2015) Improving the future of honey bee breeding programs by employing recent scientific advances. Current Opinion in Insect Science 10, 163–169.Google Scholar
Nylin, S. & Gotthard, K. (1998) Plasticity in life history traits. Annual Review of Entomology 43, 63–83.Google Scholar
Page, R.E. Jr. & Metcalf, R.A. (1984) A population investment sex ratio for the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.). The American Naturalist 124 (5), 680–702.Google Scholar
Page, R.E. Jr. & Peng, Y-S.C. (2001) Aging and development in social insects with emphasis on the honey bee, Apis mellifera L. Experimental Gerontology 36, 695–711.Google Scholar
Page, R.E. Jr., Fondrk, M.K. & Rueppell, O. (2012) Complex pleiotropy characterizes the pollen hoarding syndrome in honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 66(11), 1459–1466.Google Scholar
Palmer, A.R. (1994) Fluctuating asymmetry analyses: a primer. in Markow, T.A. (Ed.), Developmental Instability: Its Origins and Evolutionary Implications, Contemporary Issues in Genetics and Evolution. Springer Science and Business Media, B.V., Netherlands, pp. 335–364.Google Scholar
Palmer, A.R. & Strobeck, C. (2003) Fluctuating asymmetry analyses revisited. in Polak, M. (Ed), Developmental Instability (DI): Causes and Consequences, Oxford, Oxford University Press, pp. 279–319.Google Scholar
Retschnig, G., Williams, G.R., Mehmann, M.M., Yañez, O., De Miranda, J.R. & Neumann, P. (2014) Sex-specific differences in pathogen susceptibility in honey bees (Apis mellifera). PloS One 9(1), e85261.Google Scholar
Rhodes, J. (2008) Semen production in drone honeybees. p. 80 in Barton, A.C.T. (Ed.) Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation. Barton, Australia, Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation. Publication no. 08/130Google Scholar
Rhodes, J., Harden, S., Spooner-Hart, R., Anderson, D. L. & Wheen, G. (2011) Effects of age, season and genetics on semen and sperm production in Apis mellifera drones. Apidologie 42, 29–38.Google Scholar
Rueppell, O., Fondrk, M.K. & Page, R.E. (2005) Biodemographic analysis of male honey bee mortality. Aging Cell 4, 13–19.Google Scholar
Rueppell, O., Chandra, S.B.C., Pankiw, T., Fondrk, M.K., Beye, M., Hunt, G., & Page, R.E. (2006 a) The genetic architecture of sucrose responsiveness in the honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) Genetics 172(1), 243–251.Google Scholar
Rueppell, O., Page, R.E. Jr. & Fondrk, M.K. (2006 b) Male behavioural maturation rate responds to selection on pollen hoarding in honeybees. Animal Behavior 71(1), 227–234.Google Scholar
Schlüns, H., Schlüns, E.A., van Praagh, J. & Moritz, R.F.A. (2003) Sperm numbers in drone honeybees (Apis mellifera) depend on body size. Apidologie 34, 577–584.Google Scholar
Schmickl, T. & Crailsheim, K. (2004) Inner nest homeostasis in a changing environment with special emphasis on honey bee brood nursing and pollen supply. Apidologie 35, 249–263.Google Scholar
StatSoft, Inc. (2014). Statistica, version 12.Google Scholar
Szentgyörgyi, H., Czekońska, K. & Tofilski, A. (2016) Influence of pollen deprivation on the forewing asymmetry of honeybee workers and drones. Apidologie 47, 653–662.Google Scholar
Szolderits, M.J. & Crailsheim, K. (1993) A comparison of pollen consumption and digestion in honeybee (Apis mellifera carnica) drones and workers. Journal of Insect Physiology 39, 877–881.Google Scholar
Taha, E.K.A. & Alqarni, A.S. (2013) Morphometric and reproductive organs characters of Apis mellifera jemenitica drones in comparison to Apis mellifera carnica. International Journal of Scientific and Engineering Research 4(10), 411–415.Google Scholar
Tofilski, A. (2004) Drawwing, a program for numerical description of insect wings. Journal of Insect Science 4, 17.Google Scholar
Wharton, K.E., Dyer, F.C., Huang, Z.Y. & Getty, T. (2007) The honeybee queen influences the regulation of colony drone production. Behavioural Ecology 18, 1092–1099.Google Scholar
Wharton, K.E., Dyer, & Getty, T. (2008) Male elimination in the honeybee. Behavioural Ecology 19, 1075–1079.Google Scholar
Witherell, P.C. (1971) Duration of flight and of interflight time of drone honeybees, Apis mellifera. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 64, 609–612.Google Scholar