Juvenile hormone (JH) plays important roles in the age-related division of labor in honey bees. In this study we investigate the short-term changes in juvenile hormone titers in honey bee workers under stress commonly experienced in experimental manipulations. Nurse bees and foragers were kept in cages (with food ad libitum) or on ice (anaesthetized) for up to 24 hours. JH titers in nurses increased significantly after 2 hours, both when they were put inside a cage or on ice. JH titers in foragers increased significantly only after 8-24 hours of being caged, or 24 hours of being on ice. These results suggest that nurses and foragers respond to stress differently.
Species 1: Hymenoptera Apidae Apis mellifera (honey bee)
Keywords: Apis; mellifera; honey bees; stress; juvenile hormone
The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA