It is known that young worker honey bees prefer warm temperatures (35oC), but it is not clear why. Here we show that young bees prefer warmer temperatures because their flight ability does not develop normally if they are reared below 35oC. Only a small proportion of bees develop flight ability when reared below 30oC and higher temperatures (up to 35oC) allow for better development of flight ability. It seems that social living has caused the honey bees to lose the ability to develop their flight muscles normally, unless they are reared under 35oC, which is the normal broodnest temperature.
Species 1: Hymenoptera Apidae Apis mellifera (honey bee)
Keywords: muscle-development
Back to Ten-Minute Papers, Subsection Cb. Apiculture and Social Insects (Termites and Honey Bees)
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Back to The 2002 ESA Annual Meeting and Exhibition