Honeybee colony drone production and maintenance in accordance with environmental factors: an interplay of queen and worker decisions

• Published in: Insectes sociaux Vol. 57; no. 1; pp. 1 - 9
• Main Author: Boes, K. E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel Basel : SP Birkhäuser Verlag Basel 01.02.2010; SP Birkhäuser Verlag Basel; Birkhäuser
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal productions; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Apiculture; Apis mellifera; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Demecology; Entomology; environmental factors; food availability; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; honey bee colonies; honey bees; Insecta; Invertebrates; Life Sciences; males; Protozoa. Invertebrata; rearing; reproduction; Review Article; social insects; Terrestrial animal productions; Sex allocation; Colony organization; Honeybees; Cooperation; Drones; Insecta; Apidae; Environmental factor; Male; Drone; Social insect; Decision; Apis mellifera; Queen insect; Apoidea; Arthropoda; Production; Colony; Population dynamics; Social organization; Hymenoptera; Invertebrata; Aculeata; Adaptation; Worker insect
• ISSN: 0020-1812; 1420-9098
• DOI: 10.1007/s00040-009-0046-9

Social insect colonies display a remarkable ability to adjust investment in reproduction (i.e., production of sexuals) in accordance with environmental conditions such as season and food availability. How this feat is accomplished by the colony's queen(s) and workers remains a puzzle. Here, I review what we have learned about this subject in the European honeybee (Apis mellifera), specifically with regard to a colony's production of males (drones). I identify five environmental conditions that influence colony-level patterns of drone production and then define five stages of drone rearing that are accomplished by the queen and workers. Using this framework, I detail our current understanding of how the queen or workers adjust their actions at each stage of drone rearing in response to each of the environmental conditions. Future investigations of this topic in honeybees and other social insect societies will lead to a better understanding of how colonies manage to flexibly and efficiently allocate their resources under changing environmental conditions.