Rebel honeybee workers have a tendency to become intraspecific reproductive parasites. Issue 23 (31st October 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kuszewska, Karolina; Miler, Krzysztof; Rojek, Wiktoria; Ostap‐Chęć, Monika; Woyciechowski, Michal
• Is Part Of: Ecology and evolution. Volume 8:Issue 23(2018)
• Page Start: 11914
• Page End: 11920
• Publication Date: 2018-10-31
• Subjects: Apis mellifera -- honeybee -- intraspecific reproductive parasites -- rebel workers -- reproductive parasites; Ecology -- Periodicals; Evolution -- Periodicals; 577.05
• DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4647
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2045-7758

Abstract

Abstract: Worker honeybees may reproduce in either their own or foreign colonies; the latter situation is termed intraspecific reproductive parasitism (IRP). In this study, we compared the tendency for IRP between normal honeybee workers, which are characterized by a relatively low reproductive potential, and "rebel workers", a recently discovered subcaste of honeybee workers characterized by a high reproductive potential that develops when the colony is without a queen. We expected that the high reproductive potential of the rebel workers would influence their reproductive strategy and that these individuals would drift to other colonies to lay eggs more often than normal workers. The results confirm our expectations and show that rebel workers are more likely than normal workers to drift to foreign colonies. The rebel workers also preferred to drift to queenless colonies than to queenright colonies, while the normal workers did not show this preference. This study indicates that rebel workers have a tendency for IRP, which may be responsible for the maintenance of the rebel worker strategy in bee populations. Abstract : In this article we find that new subcaste of honeybee workers can be intraspecific parasites. These individuals drift to other colonies and activated their ovaries.