Abstract
Hibernated queens of Bombus terrestris must be stimulated to start egg laying while kept in confinement. In this study, the stimulating effect of a male pupa and the impact of the age and the fixation angle of the pupa was examined. Queens started egg laying very soon if they were provided with a young male pupa. It took queens longer to oviposit with increasing age of the supplied pupae. Moreover, queens that were provided with older pupae produced fewer eggcups and fewer workers in the first brood. Queens with a horizontally fixed pupa did better than with a vertical or oblique oriented pupa. Of the queens that were provided with a young pupa, 80% produced colonies. In contrast, only 30% of the queens that were provided with an old pupa produced a colony. In addition, the latter colonies performed worse during the entire period of colony development. In conclusion, providing one horizontally fixed young male pupa to a hibernated, single queen resulted in the production of good colonies. Bombus terrestris / oviposition stimulation / male pupae / colony foundation
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