Social control of egg-laying in independently nest-founding bumble bee queens

Background: Evolution has shaped diverse reproductive investment strategies, with some organisms integrating environmental cues into their reproductive decisions. In animal societies, social cues can further influence reproductive decisions in ways that might support the survival and success of the social group. Bumble bees are a lineage of eusocial insects wherein queens initiate nests independently. Bumble bee queens enter their eusocial phase only after successfully rearing their first offspring and thereafter exhibit an increased rate of egg-laying. We tested the idea that during bumble bee nest initiation, queen reproduction is socially context-dependent and under the control of social conditions in the nest.
Results: Our findings reveal that in the bumble bee Bombus impatiens, queen egg-laying follows a dynamic, stereotypical pattern and is also heavily influenced by social group members. During the initial stages of nest initiation, accelerated egg-laying in queens is a..., We reared Bombus impatiens queens in the lab and collected data on queen egg-laying patterns across the early nesting developmental stage. We also explored questions regarding the social control of developing brood on queen reproductive behavior. Data was transcribed from paper to Microsoft Excel sheets and analyzed in R. , , # Social control of egg-laying in independently nest-founding bumble bee queens

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.34tmpg4v1](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.34tmpg4v1)

## Description of the data and file structure:

Contains all analyses performed on datasets regarding the social control of egg-laying for *Bombus impatiens* queens. 

Synopsis:

We examined the egg-laying patterns of *Bombus impatiens* queens and demonstrated that social group members influence it. We believe queens rely on social cues from adult workers and brood to optimize reproductive output.

Sample Information:

See Social_Control_Data_3_25.xlx for all data related to egg-laying patterns, nest development, worker body size, brood manipulation, ovarian status

Analysis:

See Social_Control.R for codes

### Files and variables:

#### File: Social\_Control\_Raw\_Data.zip

**Description:** Compressed folders of raw daily photos and videos (necessary if taking photos was not possible, .MOV and .mp4 files) of nest developme...,