Virgin Queens Research Articles

Research on the rearing of bumblebees in artificial nests

Rearing trials on several Bombus species were carried out in 1990 and 1991. The purpose was to improve techniques of colony management and to observe colony growth and the behaviour of foraging workers. A total of 5 queens of Bombus hortorum (L.), 32 of B. humilis Ill., 93 of B. lapidarius (L.), 77 of B. pratorum (L.), 5 of B. ruderatus (F.), and 177 of B. terrestris (L.) were collected in spring on flowering plants. No queen of B. hortorum, but 1 of B. humilis, 1 of B. lapidarius, 11 of B. pratorum, 3 of B. ruderatus, and 33 of B. terrestris started to rear larvae, however, workers emerged only in 1 colony of B. lapidarius, 5 of B. pratorum, 2 of B. ruderatus, and 29 of B. terrestris. In 1990, virgin queens and males coming from B. terrestris artificial nests were placed in mating cages; these queens were then used to found new colonies, that were reared throughout the winter until the completion of their cycle.

Copulation ofBombus terrestrisL. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in captivity

SUMMARYThe mating behaviour of Bombus terrestris was studied using wooden observation cages (50 X 50 X 70 cm) in the laboratory. Queens and males from reared colonies were isolated from the odour of the opposite sex before the experiments. Mating pairs (one per box) consisted of one 10-day-old virgin male and one 5-day-old virgin queen. The behaviour of each of the 80 pairs used was observed for 15 min, during which time 47 of the pairs copulated. Male behaviour could be divided into approach, inspection and attempt to copulate. Queen reactions to the male were immobility (13.8%), threat (53.9%) or flight (32.3%). Queens could also display inspection behaviour. The mating success of a behavioural sequence was positively correlated with the frequency of inspections by both sexes and negatively correlated with queen immobility. Flow diagrams showing sequences of types of behaviour are presented. The role of sexual pheromones in mating is discussed.

A Theoretical Analysis of Individual Interests and Intracolony Conflict During Swarming of Honey Bee Colonies

Interactions within animal societies are a complex mix of co-operation and conflict. This paper examines how the individuals in the honey bee colony, a society exhibiting an extreme degree of co-operation, are, nonetheless, in conflict during certain of the colony's activities at the point of greatest conflict in honey bee social life: the division of the colony between queens during colony fission or swarming. Here, the decisions are made regarding which queens leave with swarms and how many swarms (queens) are produced. These choices are ultimately shaped by ecological consequences in terms of survival of the swarms produced. This analysis suggests an explanation of the initially counter-intuitive forfeit of the established nest by the mother queen, and a context for understanding the variation in worker behavior toward virgin queens. It also suggests that the "afterswarming syndrome" of behaviors, including piping behavior of queen bees, reflects the result of manipulation of virgin queens' interests by worker bees resulting in a resolution of conflict through a forced alignment of interests.

Fighting for a harem of queens: physiology of reproduction in Cardiocondyla male ants.

Several species of the ant genus Cardiocondyla produce dimorphic males, which exhibit sharply different mating strategies. Winged males typically disperse to mate outside the nest, whereas wingless, ergatoid males stay in the nest and aggressively employ their mandibles against competing ergatoid males to monopolize the virgin queens eclosing in the nest. Such aggressive mating strategy would only be adaptive if the males had unlimited sperm supply. Histological studies showed that, contrary to the rule in the Hymenoptera order, the ergatoid Cardiocondyla males are indeed able to produce sperm during their entire adult life. Winged males, on the other hand, have only a limited sperm supply since spermatogenesis ceases in the late pupal stage.

Reproduction by virgin queen fire ants in queenless colonies: Comparative study of three taxa (Solenopsis richteri, hybridS. invicta/richteri, S. geminata) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

In the fire ant,Solenopsis invicta, some winged virgin queens are known to shed their wings (dealate) upon removal of the mated mother queen. These virgin queens then develop their ovaries and begin to lay eggs, thereby foregoing the option of leaving on mating flights and attempting to found their own colonies. Such a response of virgin queens to queenlessness has not been reported for other ants. In order to determine if virgin queens of some other fire ants (subgenusSolenopsis) would respond in the same way, experiments were conducted onS. richteri, hybridS. invicta/richteri andS. geminata, a member of a species complex different from that of the other taxa. Just as inS. invicta, virgin queens ofS. richteri and the hybrid dealated and began to lay eggs within days of the removal of the queen. In addition, workers executed many of the reproductively active virgin queens, a phenomenon also found inS. invicta. In contrast, virgin queens ofS. geminata did not dealate or quickly begin to lay eggs upon separation from the queen. Reasons for the variability in the response of virgin queens of the different species may be 1) higher probability of reproductive success for unmated dealated queens compared to normal claustral founding inS. invicta andS. richteri linked to relatively frequent loss of the mother queen; or 2) phylogenetic constraint.

Social Control over the Survival and Selection of Winged Virgin Queens in an Ant without Nuptial Flight: Iridomyrmex humilis

AbstractLaboratory and field experiments show that the number of winged virgin queens of the Argentine ant Iridomyrmex humilis allowed to remain alive in the nest is under social control. When reared in their natal nest, survival of virgin queens depends on the presence of males. In the presence of mature alate males or even male pupae only 20% of the gynes are executed before they are 4 days old. By contrast, if pupal and adult males are absent, about 55% of the gynes are executed. The workers tend to kill the lightest ones. Although the Argentine ant is a unicolonial species exhibiting complete acceptance of foreign conspecific workers and mated queens, regardless of whether the recipient nest is queenright or queenless, the acceptance of gynes is variable: they are executed by foreign queenless workers but widely accepted in queenright nests. These results are discussed with regard to possible existence of queen and gyne pheromones allowing recognition and to the lack of nuptial flight in this species.

Behaviour of egg-laying virgin and mated queen honey bees (ApismelliferaL.) and the composition of brood in their colonies

SUMMARYVirgin and mated cordovan queen honey bees (Apis mellifera) were introduced into two-frame colonies containing workers that were not related to the queens. The percentage of times that queens laid eggs after assuming an egg-laying position was lower for virgin queens than for mated queens. In most instances, mated queens laid more eggs per observation interval than virgin queens. Virgin queens were accepted and cared for by workers as were mated queens, and all virgin queens survived in the colonies. Colonies headed by virgin queens produced 0–58.1 % of their brood from the eggs of laying workers, while colonies headed by mated queens did not produce any laying worker brood. Ovarian development was completely suppressed in colonies headed by mated queens. Although only early stage ovarian development was observed in workers sampled from colonies headed by virgin queens, from the composition of the brood it was deduced that some workers must have had completely developed ovaries and were laying eggs.

Factors Controlling Dealation and Egg Laying in Virgin Queens of the Argentine Ant Linepithema Humile (Mayr) (=Iridomyrmex Humilis)

Factors Controlling Dealation and Egg Laying in Virgin Queens of the Argentine Ant <i>Linepithema Humile</i> (Mayr) (=<i>Iridomyrmex Humilis</i>)

The behaviour of queen honeybees and their attendants

Abstract. The behaviour of queen and worker honeybees (Apis melliferaL.) was observed using small colonies in observation hives. Workers paid more attention to queens which had been mated for 2 months or more than to those which were newly mated; virgin queens received least attention. Queens received most attention when they were stationary and least when they were walking over the comb; virgin queens were most active. Queen cells had as many attendants as virgin queens and queen larvae were inspected almost continuously. The queen pheromone component 9–oxo‐trans‐2–decenoic acid stimulated ‘court’ behaviour when presented on small polyethylene blocks, but workers responded aggressively to complete extracts of queens' heads. Both the heads and abdomens of mated queens received much attention from court workers but the abdomens were palpated by more workers for longer and were licked much more. The queens' thoraces were least attended. Abdominal tergites posterior to tergite glands were licked for longer than those anterior to the glands. Only worker bees very near to the queen reacted to her and joined her ‘court’.No evidence was found of a diel periodicity in the behaviour of a queen or her ‘court’. During the winter the queen's court was smaller than in summer and she walked less and laid fewer eggs. When colonies were fed with sucrose syrup in winter, their queens laid more eggs and workers reared more brood but there was no change in the attention received by the queens.The implications of these findings for the secretion and distribution of queen pheromones are discussed.

Calorimetric investigations of the different castes of honey bees, Apis mellifera carnica

Honey bees of different age and castes were investigated calorimetrically at 20, 25 and 30 °C. Experiments were completed by endoscopic observation of the insects in the visible and the near infrared range and by acoustical monitoring and subsequent frequency analysis of various locomotor activities. Direct calorimetric results of this paper are compared with data of indirect calorimetry from the literature using a respiratory quotient of 1.00 and 21.13 J consumed. Agreements between both methods are generally good. The results show that weight-specific heat production rates increase with age of worker bees by a factor of 5.6 at 30 °C, 3.7 at 25 °C and 40.0 at 20 °C. In groups of foragers the heat production decreases with growing group size to around 6% of the value for an isolated bee. The presence of a fertile queen or of brood reduces the heat output of a small worker group significantly. Adult drones exhibit a much higher metabolic rate (up to 19.7-fold at 20 °C) than juveniles with strong fluctuations in the power-time curves. Fertile queens show a less pronounced heat production rate than virgin queens (54% at 30 °C, 87% at 25 °C and 77% at 20 °C). Calorimetric unrest is much higher for young than for adult queens. Heat production is very low in both uncapped and capped brood and less than 30% of that of a newly emerged worker. In most cases temperature showed a significant influence on the metabolic level, although its sign was not homogeneous between the castes or even within them. Locomotor activities are easily recorded by the acoustic frequency spectrum (0–7.5 kHz) and in good agreement with endoscopic observations and calorimetric traces.

Occurrence and size of laying worker eggs inApis floreacolonies

SUMMARYThe occurrence of laying workers in Apis florea colonies in Thailand was observed. Laying workers were active in ‘hopelessly queenless’ colonies, and deposited eggs in large numbers even in colonies rearing queens. Laying worker brood disappeared after virgin queens emerged, well before they started to lay eggs. Thirty eggs were collected from each of three colonies with queens and three queenless colonies with laying workers. The average lengths of eggs deposited by queens were 1.540, 1.558 and 1.618 mm, and by workers 1.633, 1.694 and 1.783 mm. The average widths were 0.348, 0.374 and 0.392 mm, and 0.418, 0.438 and 0.452 mm, respectively. Thus, laying worker eggs were larger than those deposited by queens, although the length of the worker abdomen is about half of that of the queen. A high correlation was found between the average length and width of eggs from different colonies. However, the correlation was weak for eggs deposited by particular queens.

The queen in relation to wax secretion and comb building in honeybees

The role of the queen in relation to wax secretion and comb building in honeybees was analyzed with respect to queen status (mated, virgin and dead queens and queenlessness), and pheromones of the head and abdominal tergite of queens. Worker variables considered were colony size, percentage of bees bearing wax scales, wax scale weight, and weight of constructed combs. The amount of wax recovered from festoon bees and the percentage of festoon bees bearing wax were independent of queen status, the pheromones of queens and access to the queen. Colonies with full access to freely moving mated queens always constructed significantly more comb than those headed by virgin or dead queens as well as all permutations of caged and division board queens whose mandibular glands and/or abdominal tergite glands were operative or not. Despite pheromonal similarity of virgin queens to mated ones, colonies headed by virgin queens constructed as little comb as did queenless colonies. The bouquets of the mandibular glands did not differ significantly among queens nor was the amount of comb constructed correlated with pheromonal bouquet. Comb building is greatest among colonies having full access to freely moving queens but the stimulus for such building is not attributable to the 90DA, 9HDA and 10HDA components of the queen's mandibular gland secretions.

Pheromonal and behavioral queen control over the production of gynes in the Argentine ant Iridomyrmex humilis (Mayr)

Both field observations and laboratory experiments have suggested that queens of I. humilis inhibit the production of new queens (gynes). Using small colony fragments, laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the means by which this inhibition is achieved. The addition of queen corpses to queenless fragments effectively inhibited the production of gynes, suggesting that a queen inhibitory primer pheromone is involved. This inhibitory influence was removed when corpses were washed in pentane, lending further support to the pheromonal hypothesis. Adult gynes (winged virgin queens) were not inhibitory, whereas young dealated mated queens of the same age were, suggesting that only inseminated queens produce the pheromone. Daily addition of eggs to queenless units did not appear to have a strong inhibitory influence, indicating that the lower worker/larva ratios associated with the presence of an egg-laying queen in such colony fragments does not greatly influence the production of sexuals. Pheromonal inhibition of gyne development appears to be achieved mainly by preventing the sexualization of bipotent female larvae, probably by affecting the brood-rearing behavior of workers. In addition, queens may also cause the execution of female larvae after they have become sexualized. In nearly all cases, the addition of a living queen to previously queenless units containing gyne larvae caused workers to execute one or more of these larvae within 24 h. In some cases queens were also seen attacking gyne larvae. The addition of queen corpses resulted in the execution of gyne larvae, suggesting that a queen pheromone mediates, at least in part, this execution behavior of workers. These results show that I. humilis queens exert control over the production of gynes in two ways: (1) by preventing the sexualization of female larvae and (2) by killing female larvae after they have become sexualized. A queen primer pheromone appears to be involved in both processes. Queen behavior also plays a role, at least in the execution of gyne larvae. This queen control over the production of gynes, probably mostly pheromonal, appears to operate strongly in the field where gynes are produced only in spring just after a sharp drop in the inhibitory queen influence due to the massive execution of queens by the workers.

The development of laying workers in field colonies of the Cape honey bee

SUMMARYColonies of Cape honey bees (Apis mellifera capensis) were assessed for the effects of various queen states (queenless, with a virgin queen, with a mated queen, with access to the head and thorax of a queen, with access to the abdomen of a queen) on the development of laying workers. The effect of queenlessness on workers of different ages was also studied. The highest frequency of laying workers in the worker population (5%) occurred in queenless colonies, followed by virgin-queenright (2.5%) and mated-queenright (< 1 %) colonies. The frequency of laying workers did not increase with longer periods of queenlessness; however, the younger the bees were on dequeening, the greater the ovarian development. Both the head and thorax or the abdomen of a queen partially inhibited ovarian development. Thus, with respect to queen suppression of worker ovarian development, the Cape honey bee differs from other races of Apis mellifera only in degree, not in kind.

Elizabeth I as a Second Virgin Mary

Elizabethan poets and panegyrists found images of glorious, powerful virgins to exalt their queen in both classical literature – especially the Virgilian figure of Astraea – and Christian tradition. An examination of literature, drama, and the visual arts reveals substantial use of imagery traditionally used to describe the Virgin Mary: virgin mother, bride, and queen; the flower of the Tree of Jesse, merciful intercessor, walled garden, thornless rose. An Elizabethan cult imitated and replaced Marian devotion. This association and substitution provided Elizabethan propagandists and their audience with compelling ways to express, enhance, and justify the queen's authority and identity and her relations with her kingdom, her church, and the world beyond her realm.

Elizabeth I as a second Virgin Mary

Elizabethan poets and panegyrists found images of glorious, powerful virgins to exalt their queen in both classical literature – especially the Virgilian figure of Astraea – and Christian tradition. An examination of literature, drama, and the visual arts reveals substantial use of imagery traditionally used to describe the Virgin Mary: virgin mother, bride, and queen; the flower of the Tree of Jesse, merciful intercessor, walled garden, thornless rose. An Elizabethan cult imitated and replaced Marian devotion. This association and substitution provided Elizabethan propagandists and their audience with compelling ways to express, enhance, and justify the queen's authority and identity and her relations with her kingdom, her church, and the world beyond her realm.

Emulous Factions and the Collapse of Chivalry: Troilus and Cressida

Research Article| January 01 1990 Emulous Factions and the Collapse of Chivalry: Troilus and Cressida Eric S. Mallin Eric S. Mallin Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Representations (1990) 29: 145–179. https://doi.org/10.2307/2928422 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Eric S. Mallin; Emulous Factions and the Collapse of Chivalry: Troilus and Cressida. Representations 1 January 1990; 29 145–179. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/2928422 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentRepresentations Search This content is only available via PDF. Copyright 1990 The Regents of the University Press Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Queen Elizabeth I: Representations of the Virgin Queen

It is commonly acknowledged that although Elizabeth I vowed herself to a life of perpetual virginity, she entered into a symbolic marriage with England as her husband. In this way she could receive the" adulation of her subjects as the universal object of a Petrarchan religion of love, one that pervaded ballads, pageants, and dramatic entertainments. Scholars claim that she was able to convert her unprecedented weakness as a celibate queen into a powerful propagandistic claim that she sacrificed personal interests in the name of public service.

‘Young Bess’: Historical Novels and Growing Up

What visions of grandeur did these words conjur up for me, an eager grammar-school swot, in the early 1960s? I was introduced to Margaret Irwin's trilogy about Queen Elizabeth I by my mother on one of our many trips to the Carnegie Public Library in Fratton Road, Portsmouth: Young Bess (1944), Elizabeth Captive Princess (1948) and Elizabeth and The Prince of Spain (1953), all chart the fortunes of the Tudor monarch from girlhood to her coronation as England's Virgin Queen. These opening lines can still thrill me, though I'm less excited by the prospect of leading a regiment. No one in my family was a royalist my mother and grandmother were outspoken antimonarchists -'about time they pensioned off Mr and Mrs Windsor' was their usual attitude. Yet perhaps the fact that my middle name is Elizabeth, my birthday shared with the Queen Mother, and I too was about twelve years old when I first encountered Young Bess, made me more susceptible. This imaginary exchange between the princess and Admiral Thomas Seymour on the flagship of her father's navy, as they watch the French fleet approaching in the Solent, was itself not a million miles

Soziale Organisation und Fortflanzung bei Ocymyrmex foreliFormicidae-Myrmicinae)

Colonies ofOcymyrmex foreli contained 16–1586 adults of which 4–20% were ergatoid queens the remainder being sterile workers. Each colony contained one inseminated ergatoid queen only and colonies were monogynous. Workers and virgin queens were similar in size and appearance but had distinctive ovaries; queens had significantly more ovarioles than workers, with mated queens having more ovarioles than virgins.