Impact of Apis cerana cerana (Hymenoptera: Apidae) body size on newly built cell size

• Published in: Journal of Asia-Pacific entomology Vol. 27; no. 3; pp. 102277 - 5
• Main Authors: Li, Hui, Deng, Shangkao, Meng, Qingxin, Yang, Shunhua, Jiang, Wutao, Zhao, Wenzheng, Tian, Yakai, Dong, Kun, Gong, Xueyang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.09.2024; 한국응용곤충학회
• Subjects: Apis cerana; birth weight; Body size; Cell construction; Cell structure size; cell structures; entomology; femur; honey; legs; metatarsus; proboscis; thorax; tibia; wings; Worker morphology; 농학; Worker morphology; Cell construction; Body size; Cell structure size
• ISSN: 1226-8615; 1876-7790
• DOI: 10.1016/j.aspen.2024.102277

[Display omitted] •Exploring the impact of the body size of honey bee on newly built cell size.•Establishment of A. c. cerana colonies with large and small body sizes.•Mold made of epoxy resin was used for measuring and analyzing the cell structure.•Workers with larger external morphological features built larger cells. The influence of cell structure size on the morphological development of honey bees has been widely studied. However, the effect of the honey bees' body size on the cell size they build remains unclear. This study investigated the influence of the body size of Apis cerana cerana on the structure size of newly built honey cells, worker cells, and drone cells. Accordingly, we established colonies of A. c. cerana with large and small body-size workers. We then analyzed the birth weight and seven external morphological characteristics of workers, as well as the depth and diameter of their newly built honey cells, worker cells, and drone cells. We found significant differences in the birth weight, proboscis length, thorax width, right forewing length, femur length, tibia length, and metatarsus length of the right hindleg, and total length of the 3rd and 4th tergite of workers from large-body-size colonies (LBSC) and small-body-size colonies (SBSC). Also, the depth and diameter of the newly built cells by LBSC were significantly larger than those by SBSC. The body size of workers positively correlated with the size of newly built cells. This study emphasizes the influence of workers' body size on the structural dimensions of newly constructed cells, providing insights into the comb-building biology of A. c. cerana.