Effects of diet on queen development in the Argentine ant, Linepithema humile

Laboratory colonies of Argentine ants (Linepithema humile Mayr) were fed a diet of either 25% royal jelly, 15% royal jelly, American cockroaches (Periplaneta americana L.), or a sugar water control and monitored for queen development.  Colonies consisted of 50 workers with 2 queens that were removed after one week.  Colonies provisioned with royal jelly produced more queens than colonies provisioned with roaches or sugar water.  These experiments demonstrate the importance of diet, in addition to environment, in the production of alate females in the spring.