Comb age significantly influences the emergency queen rearing, morphometric and reproductive characteristics of the queens

A study on the impact of comb age on the number of emergency queen cells and ripped queen cells was conducted. Also, we compared morphometric and reproductive characteristics of queens reared in combs aged 1, 2, 3, and 4 years. The highest number of emergency queen cells was constructed in combs aged 1 year on the 2nd day after dequeening. No more queen cells were constructed after the 5th day of dequeening. The highest numbers of successful queen cells and emerged queens were obtained from the new combs. The amount of royal jelly (RJ)/queen cell, the weight of the newly emerged queen, and the queen cell size significantly decreased with increasing the age of the comb. Compared with the newly emerged queens from combs aged 1 year, the queens from combs aged 3 and 4 years exhibited significantly lower values for antenna length, mandibular gland area, forewing area, number of hamuli, area of the 3rd and 4th abdominal tergites, abdomen length, number of ovarioles/ovary, ovariole length and diameter, and spermathecal size. Significant positive correlations between the queen cell size and RJ yield/queen cell, queen body weight, and all queen characteristics except for the hindwing area were found. It can be concluded that the number of reared queens and their morphometrics and reproductive characteristics were significantly dependent on the age of the combs. The queen’s body size can be used as an indicator of the queen’s quality.

本研究探究了巢脾龄期对急造王台（emergency queen cells）与破损王台（ripped queen cells）数量的影响，并比较了1、2、3、4年巢脾中培育蜂王的形态学与繁殖特性。除王后第2天，1年巢脾构建的急造王台数量达到峰值；除王后第5天后，不再有新王台形成。成功王台与出房蜂王的最高数量均来自新巢脾。每王台蜂王浆（royal jelly, RJ）产量、新出房蜂王体重及王台尺寸均随巢脾龄期增加而显著降低。与1年巢脾培育的新出房蜂王相比，3年和4年巢脾培育的蜂王在触角长度、下颌腺面积、前翅面积、翅钩（hamuli）数量、第3、4腹节背板面积、腹部长度、卵巢小管数/卵巢、卵巢小管长度与直径以及受精囊尺寸等指标上均显著偏低。王台尺寸与每王台蜂王浆产量、蜂王体重及除后翅面积外的所有蜂王性状均呈显著正相关。综上可知，培育蜂王的数量、形态学与繁殖特性均显著依赖于巢脾龄期；蜂王体型可作为蜂王质量的评价指标。