The queens of the stingless bees: from egg to adult
F. G. B. Bueno et.al.
Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution Laboratory, School of Life and Environmental Sciences A12, University
of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, AustraliaInsectes Sociaux volume 70, pages43–57 (2023)
Key research conclusions:
● Queens are important in stingless bee colonies.
● Only one queen is usually present at a time and she lays eggs.
● The queen helps to keep the colony together and ensures its survival.
● We do not know as much about queen life cycles as we do about worker bees.
● The queen’s life starts in a brood cell and she goes through a process of selection by workers.
● The size, pheromones, age, and behaviour of virgin queens may influence their selection.
● Queens mate only once on a nuptial flight.
● After mating, queens can still be harassed by workers, especially if they produce diploid males.
● Scientists have been able to rear and mate virgin queens in the lab, which has given us new information about their development and physiology.
● However, we still need to learn more about the daily routines of queens inside colonies, including their interactions with other bees.
