Abstract
Butler (1954) showed that queen substance inhibits queen cell construction in the honey bee colony. Queen substance (9-oxodecenoic acid) is produced in the mandibular glands of the queen and has been identified and synthesized (Butler, Callow and Johnston, 1961). Queen substance will not inhibit queen cell construction completely but in the presence of queen scent (Butler, 1961) inhibition is complete. Gary and Morse (1960, 1962) showed that extirpation of the mandibular glands from a living queen would usually result in the construction of queen cells. The number of queen cells constructed was less than when the queen was removed from the colony. Simpson (1960) demonstrated that amputation of a queen's front legs likewise resulted in queen cell construction. He suggested that a queen's front legs might be used to distribute queen substance over her body, whence it is licked by worker bees, though the data did not prove that the front legs were so used.
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