Making More Queen Bees: Does it Affect Their Quality?
For beekeepers, maintaining healthy and productive colonies hinges on the quality of their queen bees. A recent study in Agriculture journal explores the impact of mass-rearing queen bees, specifically looking at a high royal-jelly-producing strain (RJBs) of Apis mellifera ligustica. The research investigates if increasing the number of queen cells in a colony affects the quality of the queens produced.
What Did They Do?
The researchers compared two groups of queen bees:
● One group grew up with 64 queen cells in their hive.
● The other group had 320 queen cells in their hive.
They then measured a few things to see if the queens were healthy and good at their job:
● Size: How much they weighed, how long their wings were, and how wide their bodies and heads were.
● Baby-Making Ability: How many eggs they could lay by looking at their ovaries, and the size of the brood area.
What Did They Find?
● Size Difference: The queens that grew up with 320 cells were a bit smaller than the ones with 64 cells. They weighed less and had smaller wings and bodies. However, the heads were a bit larger in the 320-cell group.
● Same Baby-Making Ability: Even though they were smaller, both groups of queens had about the same number of ovarioles, which are the parts of their bodies that make eggs. Also, both groups of queens produced similar brood areas.
● Still Good Queens: Even the smaller queens met the basic standards for being a healthy, good queen.
What’s Royal Jelly Got To Do With It?
The study suggests that royal jelly is important. When there were more queen cells (320), each baby queen got a little less royal jelly. This might be why the queens were smaller. Royal jelly has a special ingredient called 10-HDA, and this ingredient helps bees grow.
What Does This Mean for Beekeepers?
● Lots of Queens: It means beekeepers can raise many queen bees at once with these special bees.
● A Little Smaller: If beekeepers make lots of queens at once, they might be a bit smaller, but they’re still good at their job.
● Bigger Queens: If beekeepers want bigger queens, they might need to make fewer at a time, or use other ways of raising them.
In Simple Words
Making more queen bees at once might make them a little smaller, but it doesn't stop them from being good at laying eggs. This study is useful for beekeepers who want to make lots of healthy queen bees.
Source:
1. College of Wildlife and Protected Areas, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
2. State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
*Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Submission received: 17 January 2024 / Revised: 3 February 2024 / Accepted: 4 February 2024 / Published: 6 February 2024
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bees as a Tool for Agricultural Production)
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