5.17 Differences between summer and winter workers Flashcards
What do all worker bees eat after their emergence?
All worker bees eat large quantities of pollen in the days following their emergence.
What are the main tasks of summer bees?
Summer bees have to nurse large amounts of brood and then forage. This takes its toll and lives are short.
How do winter bees differ from summer bees in terms of brood and foraging?
Winter bees have less or no brood to tend, neither do they forage. Their hypopharyngeal glands remain plump and they live longer.
What is vitellogenin?
Vitellogenin is a key protein that affects age task determination (polyethism) and survival of winter bees.
FISHL
What are the functions of vitellogenin?
Vitellogenin is:
* used as a food storage reservoir,
* to synthesize royal jelly,
* as a component of the immune system,
* to prolong the life of the queen and winter bee,
* functions as a hormone affecting future foraging behavior.
What is the composition of vitellogenin?
Vitellogenin can be described as a glycolipoprotein (glyco + lipo) giving it the properties of sugar, fat, and protein.
Where is vitellogenin stored in honey bees?
Molecules of vitellogenin are stored in the fat bodies in the abdomen and the head.
How do vitellogenin levels affect worker bee behavior?
The vitellogenin levels of nurse bees have a direct impact on the health of a honey bee colony and influence worker bee division of labor in the nest.
What happens to vitellogenin levels when bees become foragers?
Once they become foragers, vitellogenin levels drop.
How do nurse bees build up their vitellogenin levels?
In the active season, nurse bees build up their vitellogenin levels in their first four days by eating lots of pollen as well as nectar and honey.
What glands develop in bees to enable them to feed larvae and the queen?
The hypopharyngeal and mandibular glands develop to enable them to feed the larva and the queen.
What happens to vitellogenin and Juvenile Hormone levels when winter bees start foraging?
When winter bees start feeding brood and foraging, their levels of vitellogenin drop and Juvenile Hormone levels rise.
What is the relationship between Juvenile Hormone levels and aging in bees?
It is thought that high levels of Juvenile Hormone are linked to the aging process.
What is a unique ability of winter bees regarding waste storage?
Winter bees can expand their rectum to store waste material until they can leave the nest to defecate.
What happens if a winter bee becomes infected by Nosema?
If the bee becomes infected by Nosema, the ability to store waste in the rectum can be reduced, and the bee may defecate in the hive, thus aiding the spread of the Nosema spores.
