ABSTRACT: Kin discrimination in honey bees may change with colony reproductive status. In particular, it may become more pronounced under the queenless conditions when workers' ovaries develop and they compete for reproductive rights. Furthermore, under queenless conditions relatedness and ovarian development may interact, so that aid is preferentially given to closer relatives (super-sisters) with greater egg-laying capabilities, while the reproductive activity of less related nestmates (half-sisters) may be impeded. I used microsatellite DNA analysis to examine under both queenright and queenless conditions, in colonies headed by a naturally mated queen, the influence of relatedness and ovarian development on two worker behaviors that involve donor-recipients interactions: trophallaxis (liquid food exchange) and mauling (aggressive mandibulation of a nestmate). The microsatellite analysis revealed no consistent association between kin discrimination and colony reproductive status. There was no significant increase in super-sister interactions under queenless conditions in either colony. Likewise, under queenless conditions ovarian development did not influence whether a worker engaged in trophallaxis with a super- versus a half-sister, nor did relatedness influence whether a worker was a donor or recipient in food exchange. Mauling may have been influenced by an interaction of relatedness and ovarian development in queenless conditions, because workers tended to maul more distant relatives who had more developed ovaries.

Intraspecific communication involves the activation of chemoreceptors and subsequent activation of different central areas that coordinate the responses of the entire organism—ranging from behavioral modification to modulation of hormones release. Animals emit intraspecific chemical signals, often referred to as pheromones, to advertise their presence to members of the same species and to regulate interactions aimed at establishing and regulating social and reproductive bonds. In the last two decades, scientists have developed a greater understanding of the neural processing of these chemical signals. Neurobiology of Chemical Communication explores the role of the chemical senses in mediating intraspecific communication. Providing an up-to-date outline of the most recent advances in the field, it presents data from laboratory and wild species, ranging from invertebrates to vertebrates, from insects to humans. The book examines the structure, anatomy, electrophysiology, and molecular biology of pheromones. It discusses how chemical signals work on different mammalian and non-mammalian species and includes chapters on insects, Drosophila, honey bees, amphibians, mice, tigers, and cattle. It also explores the controversial topic of human pheromones. An essential reference for students and researchers in the field of pheromones, this is also an ideal resource for those working on behavioral phenotyping of animal models and persons interested in the biology/ecology of wild and domestic species.

There is no doubt that selection acts at the individual level but, there is heated debate over the relative importance of higher and lower levels of selection. Kin selection is the dominant paradigm explaining the evolution of cooperation. Whereby, individually detrimental traits can be selectively favored if they increase the fitness of genetic relatives. Kin selection operates at the individual level, biasing cooperation towards those sharing the most genes. However, kin selection may also act at the group level when efficiently functioning groups are more productive than dysfunctional ones, provided group success correlates to kin structure. Finally, kin selection can occur at the genome level within individuals, where paternally and maternally-inherited genes may favor different behaviors and actions. The imprinting of genes to parent-of-origin could also have important ramifications for social evolution. Here, I exploit the conflict over male production in honey bees to examine how these three levels of selection operate. Honey bee workers could 'police' eggs laid by other workers either to maintain colony-level productivity, favor more closely related individuals or as a result of intragenomic conflict (i.e. the paternal genome favors laying, the maternal one favors policing). Firstly, I found that although African workers lay eggs more rapidly than European workers, there is no difference in their times to ovary activation. Significant effects of both the juvenile and adult social environment on ovary activation, suggest that environment has a larger effect on the propensity to activate ovaries rather than subspecies. Secondly, I mathematically simulated a typical eusocial colony where I varied the number of mates per queen, viability of worker-laid males, colony efficiency costs of reduced worker helping, and whether or not intragenomic conflict could be expressed. Genome level selection dominated over both individual and group levels, and group level selection was more significant than the individual level in determining when queens dominate male production. Thirdly, individual level selection predicts policing late into larval development whilst benefits accrued through colony efficiency predicts workers should stop policing viable larvae soon after hatching. To this end I reared queen and worker laid male larvae in a queenless colony and transferred male larvae, from both sources, of differing ages, into a queenright colony. Post transferal (4 and 24 h), I found that workers equally removed larvae regardless of age or maternal source. With the observed high efficiency of policing eggs, these results suggest no mechanism has evolved to police larvae. Alternatively, drones may have a higher level acceptance threshold than female larvae, due to the possibility that they are laid by workers. Finally, I examined genome level selection by crossing African and European honey bees and then placing the emerging worker offspring into a queenless colony. I observed behavior from day 8 to 28 and collected marked workers on day 16 and 28. I predicted that parent-of-origin effects would occur, but instead found workers of both crosses have higher levels of ovarial development than their purebred counterparts. This suggests an imprinting mismatch such that only the paternal imprint is expressed. Together these results indicate that selection is acting at levels besides that of the individual. Continued research is needed to understand how selection, interacting over multiple levels, impacts behavior, across the animal kingdom.

A comprehensive review of the honeybees of Africa on a subspecies as well as by country basis. Includes an updated multivariate analysis of the subspecies based on the merger of the Ruttner database (Oberursel) and that of Hepburn & Radloff (Grahamstown) for nearly 20,000 bees. Special emphasis is placed on natural zones of hybridisation and introgression of different populations; seasonal cycles of development in different ecological-climatological zones of the continent; swarming, migration and absconding; and an analysis of the bee flora of the continent. The text is supplemented by tables containing quantitative data on all aspects of honeybee biology, and by continental and regional maps.

The queen honey bee is known to mate with multiple drones, and can produce over a million offspring in its lifetime. Its presence is vital to the growth and survival of a beehive. This reference book is a detailed guide to queen honey bees. The book starts by providing deep insights into the fascinating biologyof the queen honey bees, their morphometric features, developmental synchronicity, genetics, hormones, pheromones, colonial organization and swarming. Further, the book describes artificial queen rearing techniques that facilitate healthy bee colony growth and increase apiculture productivity. The book equips readers with all the knowledge they need to know about queen bee development, their role in the colony and improving the health of their colony. Key Features- 14 reader-friendly chapters that comprehensively present information about queen honey bees- Comprehensive coverage about queen bee biology, including their physical morphology, genetics, proteomics, development and behavior (including worker and drone interactions)- Information about the role of queen bees in colonial organization and life-cycle events- Practical information that helps to improve bee colony health for research and apiculture (disease mechanisms and control, artificial breeding) The book is an essential primary reference on queen honey bees for biology and entomology students, academicians and researchers at all educational levels. Apiculturists, bee keeping enthusiasts, and general readers interested in honey bees can also benefit from the breadth of information presented.

Darwin famously described special difficulties in explaining social evolution in insects. More than a century later, the evolution of sociality - defined broadly as cooperative group living - remains one of the most intriguing problems in biology. Providing a unique perspective on the study of social evolution, this volume synthesizes the features of animal social life across the principle taxonomic groups in which sociality has evolved. The chapters explore sociality in a range of species, from ants to primates, highlighting key natural and life history data and providing a comparative view across animal societies. In establishing a single framework for a common, trait-based approach towards social synthesis, this volume will enable graduate students and investigators new to the field to systematically compare taxonomic groups and reinvigorate comparative approaches to studying animal social evolution.