A queen’s tale: Assessing the hidden potential of beeswax specimens in Natural History Museum collections

Abstract

Background Natural history museum specimens of historical honeybees have been successfully used to explore the species’ genomic past, indicating fast and rapid changes between historical and modern specimens, possibly as a response to current challenges. In our study we explore a potential new untapped archive from natural history collections - specimens of historical beeswax. We examine an intact and closed Apis mellifera mellifera queen cell specimen from the 19th century. Methods In our study, we examine the queen cell by X-ray Computed Tomography (CT). Subsequently, a micro-destructive approach was used to explore the possibility of protein extraction from the cell for a palaeoproteomic analysis. Results Our results to reveal a perfectly preserved queen bee inside her cell. We were successful in extracting proteins from the residual material inside the queen cell, and were able to identify the material as containing several bee-related proteins, including major royal jelly proteins (MJRPs). Conclusions Our study show that studies on specimens such as the queen cell provide valuable information about the past rearing of queens, their diet, and their development, which is relevant for understanding current honeybees and their challenges.