Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
respond by foraging for water and engaging in fanning behavior. Resil-
ience is the ability to return to the previous colony or individual state
when the stimulus returns to its previous level. For example, once the
brood nest's temperature is reduced to about 35 degrees Celsius, water
foraging ceases and individuals stop fanning.
3.2 Polyandry in the Honey Bee
Honey bee queens mate with a large number of males, and this polyan-
dry produces a great amount of genetic variation among workers in a
colony. h is variation af ects the distribution of responses to stimuli—
the spirit of the hive—and colony behavior. Estimates of the number of
matings based on genetic markers range from 7 to 18, depending on the
population being measured. h e average over all studies is about 12.
h e maximum number of coni rmed matings, based on genetic mark-
ers of fathers contributing to the worker population of a colony, is 25.
Queens make up to three mating l ights within a few days at er emerging
as adults. On each l ight a queen may not mate at all or may mate with up
to 13 males. Mating l ights usually take place between 1:00 p.m. and
5:00 p.m., a time of day when males are also l ying. Adult males mature
in the nest for about 5 days before they begin making daily l ights, seek-
ing out specii c locations where drones from many colonies congregate
and wait for queens. No one knows why certain locations are chosen
year at er year, or how the drones and queens i nd them. Norman Gary
estimated that 25,000 drones from 200 colonies from within 5 kilome-
ters attended one congregating area in Davis, California.
Before a queen enters a congregation site, the drones are l ying
around, apparently at random. However, when a queen enters, they
quickly begin the chase and form comets consisting of hundreds of
drones. h e queen produces a chemical compound or pheromone,
9-oxo-2-decenoic acid, that is released from glands in her head and at-
tracts the males. h e males at the front of the comet scramble to reach
the queen. The lucky ones mount her from above and behind and
insert their aedeagus (the penis of a male insect) into the vaginal
chamber of the queen. h e aedeagus everts inside the sting chamber
