Changes in worker retinue behaviors during early establishment of adult honey bee queens

Workers interact directly with their queen by forming a retinue where feeding, grooming, and pheromone communication exchanges occur. Retinue interactions with naturally mated, instrumentally-inseminated (drone sperm and saline) and virgin queens were observed throughout the period of adult queen development from emergence through early oviposition. Retinue observations were recorded in situ on nest frames enclosed by metal observation frames. By the time open mating had ended (9 days after adult emergence), workers formed larger retinues with naturally mated and instrumentally inseminated queens than with virgin queens. At the time when queen oviposition first became widespread (16 days after emergence), more retinue workers were observed attending drone sperm inseminated queens than other treatment queens. Larger retinues may form in support of rapid development after queen mating and insemination. Mated and inseminated queens developed larger, more mature ovaries and greater body masses than virgin queens once oviposition commenced (16 days after emergence). Queen signaling by the major QMP pheromone components differed between virgin queens and mated/inseminated queens. By the time oviposition started (16 days after emergence), virgin queens had less methyl-4-hydroxybenzoate (HOB) than other treatment queens, and less 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylethanol (HVA) than naturally mated or drone sperm inseminated queens. Queens may rely on additional cues present in queens after mating to recruit more retinue workers in support of ovary development and overall fecundity.