Factors influencing ovary development of worker honeybees under natural conditions

Abstract

The ovaries of worker bees of known ages were examined in colonies which (a) were queenright, (b) were queenless, (c) had a virgin queen, (d) were queenless but had queen cups containing young female larvae, (e) were rearing their own queens, (f) were queenless but had only queen larvae present, and (g) were queenless but had only queen pupae present. Many worker bees developed their ovaries in treatments (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), and (g) but not in (a). The significance of these results is discussed.