Scientists have discovered a group of worker honeybees that are specifically adapted to construct the waxen home for the queen bee, according to new research.
Worker bees are responsible for various tasks within the hive, including gathering food, nurturing young bees, and caring for the queen, the sole egg-laying member of the colony. This study indicates that the bees tasked with building the queen’s cells employ a mechanism to help melt and blend certain chemicals into the wax.
“No one had ever thought that there might be a specialized group of workers that were building these queen cells,” said Julia Bowsher, a bee researcher at North Dakota State University, who was not involved in the study.
The newly identified worker bees are younger and exhibit specific patterns of gene expression that enhance their suitability for this task. The resulting peanut-shaped queen cells are composed of softer wax, which has a higher melting point compared to the wax used in constructing worker bee cells.
Traditionally, it has been believed that queens are primarily shaped by their diet, specifically the royal jelly secreted by worker bees. However, the findings, published in the journal Nature, imply that the queen’s environment also plays a significant role.
To investigate this theory, researchers reared young queens in cups covered with either queen or worker wax. The results showed that queens raised in worker wax were smaller and exhibited lower survival rates, despite receiving royal jelly.
“For centuries, we believed ‘you are what you eat’ was the only rule for making a queen bee. Our study rewrites that rule to say ‘you are where you live, too,’” stated Kai Wang, a co-author of the study from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
While these findings enhance the understanding of hive dynamics, questions persist regarding the specific chemical composition of the wax and how it impacts queen bee development. Bowsher commented on the importance of further research in this area.
Honeybees play a crucial role in pollinating various crops, including blueberries, squash, watermelon, and almonds. Additional research is needed to explore the roles of the cell-building bees and the factors contributing to the development of the queen.
Source: apnews.com via Google News.
