6.9 Worker Emergence Behaviour Flashcards
How are eggs attatched to the cell?
They are glued to the base of the cell
What happens when the egg hatches?
The egg membrane dissolves. Most other insects rupture their membrane so this gradual dissoloution is unqiue to honey bees.
Why are the larvae designed for their role?
They are just one big digestive system. The larvae rotate in the base of the cell to access the food
How much pollen is required to rear one larvae?
125-145mg of pollen
How many times may a cell be visited?
A cell may be viisted thousands of times to determine whether it needs feeding
What is the diet of the larvae?
It starts off with secretions from both hypopharyngeal and mandibular glands. The diet is then switched to one lacking the mandibular gland and then finally fed pollen and honey.
What is the larval stage growth for each type?
Worker = x900, Queen = x1700, Drone = x2300
What is the lifespan of workers?
Summer = 15 - 38 days, Spring & Autumn = 30 - 60 days, Winter = 140 days avergae
How frequently do the first 4th moults happen?
Every 24 hours in the larval stage
When does the 5th moult happen?
During the pre-paue stage
Describe the last few days of the larval stage?
They are sealed off and then spend the final days spinning a coccon. The midgut and the maphighian tubules are shut off to avoid contamiantion until coccon spinning where they defecate prior to this so that the faces are on the outside.
How do larvae know how to orientate themselves?
They can sense the textures of the cappings as they are roguh so orientate to these. They do somersaults to oreintate themselves.
What happens during the prepupal phase?
This is where legs, wing and antennae develop. Wings remain small and undeveloped.
When does the 6th moult occur?
When the worker emerges
How long does a worker take to develop into an adult?
21 days (3 as egg, 5 as open larvae, and 13 as capped)
