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J Econ Entomol

Title:		Brood pheromone effects on colony protein supplement consumption and growth in the honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in a subtropical winter climate
Author(s):		Pankiw T; Sagili RR; Metz BN;
Address:		"Texas A&M University, Department of Entomology, College Station, TX 77843, USA. tpankiw@tamu.edu"
Journal Title:		J Econ Entomol
Year:		2008
Volume:		101
Issue:		6
Page Number:		1749 - 1755
DOI:		10.1603/0022-0493-101.6.1749
ISSN/ISBN:		0022-0493 (Print) 0022-0493 (Linking)
Abstract:		"Fatty acid esters extractable from the surface of honey bee, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), larvae, called brood pheromone, significantly increase rate of colony growth in the spring and summer when flowering plant pollen is available in the foraging environment. Increased colony growth rate occurs as a consequence of increased pollen intake through mechanisms such as increasing number of pollen foragers and pollen load weights returned. Here, we tested the hypothesis that addition of brood pheromone during the winter pollen dearth period of a humid subtropical climate increases rate of colony growth in colonies provisioned with a protein supplement. Experiments were conducted in late winter (9 February-9 March 2004) and mid-winter (19 January-8 February 2005). In both years, increased brood area, number of bees, and amount of protein supplement consumption were significantly greater in colonies receiving daily treatments of brood pheromone versus control colonies. Amount of extractable protein from hypopharyngeal glands measured in 2005 was significantly greater in bees from pheromone-treated colonies. These results suggest that brood pheromone may be used as a tool to stimulate colony growth in the southern subtropical areas of the United States where the package bee industry is centered and a large proportion of migratory colonies are overwintered"
Keywords:		"Animals Bees/*drug effects/growth & development/physiology Behavior, Animal/*drug effects Climate Dietary Supplements Feeding Behavior/drug effects Humidity Pheromones/*pharmacology Population Density Population Dynamics Seasons Texas;"
Notes:		"MedlinePankiw, Tanya Sagili, Ramesh R Metz, Bradley N eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. England 2009/01/13 J Econ Entomol. 2008 Dec; 101(6):1749-55. doi: 10.1603/0022-0493-101.6.1749"