Document Type
Article
Journal/Book Title/Conference
Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society
Volume
51
Issue
3
Publication Date
7-31-1978
First Page
329
Last Page
342
Abstract
In a study of a colony of Bombus vosnesenskii, the nest contents and net inflow and net outflow of sugar and pollen were analyzed at different times during the colony cycle. When the founding queen of the colony was active and the larva/worker ratio was .92 the new queens (34% of 400 colony adults) did not forage for either pollen or nectar, and they removed both from the colony's food stores. Sugar stores were about 5.6 times the daily inflow, and pollen stores were only one fourth the daily inflow. Later, when the founding queen had died and the colony had an 11.5 larva/worker ratio, new queens constituted 60% of the colony population (43 bees) and were the primary providers of both pollen and nectar for the remaining drone brood. On the average, individual new queens brought in twice the amount of sugar per foraging trip as workers. We discuss the comparative ergonomics of bumblebees, honeybees and the solitary Megachile.
Recommended Citation
Allen, Tracy; Cemeron, Sydney; McGinley, Ronald; and Heinrich, Bernd, "The Role of Workers and New Queens in the Ergonomics of a Bumblebee Colony (Hymenoptera: Apoidea)" (1978). A. Paper 165.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/bee_lab_a/165