Honeybee queen mandibular pheromone fails to regulate ovary activation in the common wasp.

Abstract

The queen mandibular pheromone (QMP) identified from the honeybee is responsible for maintaining reproductive division of labour in the colony, and affects multiple behaviours. Interestingly, QMP inhibits reproduction not only in honeybee workers, but also in distantly related insect species such as fruit flies and bumblebees. This study examines whether QMP also affects worker reproduction in the common wasp Vespula vulgaris. Wasp workers were exposed to one of the following treatments: QMP, wasp queen pheromone (the hydrocarbon heptacosane n-C27), or acetone (solvent-only control). After dissecting the workers, no evidence that QMP inhibits development in V. vulgaris could be found. However, this study could confirm the inhibitory effect of the hydrocarbon heptacosane on ovary activation. The reason why non-social species such as the fruit fly and social species such as bumblebees and ants respond to the QMP, while the social wasp V. vulgaris does not, is unclear. The investigation of whether olfaction is key to sensing QMP in other insect species, and the detailed study of odorant receptors in other social insects, may provide insights into the mechanisms of response to this pheromone.