Seasonal Variations in the Organization and Structure of Apis cerana cerana Swarm Queen Cells

Shunhua Yang,Dandan Zhi,Xueyang Gong,Yiqiu Liu,Wenzheng Zhao,Kun Dong

doi:10.13102/sociobiology.v68i4.7208

Abstract

This paper describes the organization and structure of the swarm queen cells of Apis cerana cerana in spring, summer, and autumn in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China. We measured the following indices to reveal the organization rule of swarm cells: number of swarm cells built by each colony during different seasons; the shortest distance between two adjacent swarm cells on the comb; distance between swarm cell base and bottom bar of movable frame. We revealed the swarm cells structural characteristics using the following indicators: maximum diameter of swarm cell, the length between mouth and bottom of swarm cell, depth between maximum diameter and bottom of swarm cell, and the ratio of maximum diameter to depth between maximum diameter and bottom of swarm cell. Regarding seasonal differences, results indicated a significant variation in the distance between the swarm cell base and the bottom bar of the movable frame. Still, no such effect was observed in the shortest distance between two adjacent swarm cells. The maximum swarm cell diameter was not considerably influenced either, while the distance between the maximum diameter and the bottom of the swarm cell had substantial variation. The detected ratio of the maximum diameter to the depth between the maximum diameter and the bottom of theswarm cell indicated seasonal changes in the bottom shape of the swarm cell. This study clarifies the temporal and spatial distribution and structure of swarm cells of A. c. cerana. It establishes the basis for predicting the time and position of appearing swarm cells, thus allowing for a more precise determination of the shape and size of queen-cell punch and the ideal position of a cell cup on the bar of queen cup frames in artificial queen rearing.

Highlights

Swarming is a strategy of colony reproduction in honey bees characterized by the parent colony separating into one or more offspring colonies, with at least one queen bee and a proportion of worker bees in each new colony
Seasonality of natural swarming of Chinese bee. It was established in the present study that, in Kunming, Yunnan, China, the natural swarming of the Eastern honey bee, A. c. cerana began in early March and ended in early November, which corresponds to obvious seasonality with spring, summer, and autumn swarming periods
This paper established that the natural swarming of the Eastern honey bee A. c. cerana in Kunming, Yunnan Province, begins in early March and ends in early November, corresponding to spring, summer and autumn, and showed obvious seasonality

Summary

Introduction

Swarming is a strategy of colony reproduction in honey bees characterized by the parent colony separating into one or more offspring colonies, with at least one queen bee and a proportion of worker bees in each new colony. In the first stage, when the drone broods emerge as adult drones from the drone cells, workers begin to build queen cell cups that are different from the hexagonal cells used to rearing workers or drone broods These queen cell cups are always hung freely along the bottom of the comb, are vertically oriented, and open downward (Simpson, 1959; Lensky & Seifert, 1975). The queen lays eggs in the queen cell cups, which hatch into queen larvae within three days, while the worker bees secrete royal jelly to feed them. This reproductive behavior ensures that queen larvae continue to develop and grow appropriately in their cells. At the end of this period, the emerging queen bites off the cap of the queen cell and starts its adult stage (Jay, 1963)

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