Effects of human sex hormones and gonadotropins on the development of worker bee larvae ( Apis mellifera L.)

Abstract

Worker bee larvae of Apis mellifera L. were fed artificially in an incubator under controlled temperature and relative humidity conditions. Our results showed that (35.5±0.1)°C with a relative humidity of (85±5)% was suitable for the growth of worker bee larvae. A gradually increasing content of pollen and honey, accompanied by decreasing the content of royal jelly in diet, met their fundamental needs. With environmental and nutritional needs basically met, larvae got a similar growth rate to that under natural conditions. Four kinds of human hormones, i.e., estradiol, testosterone, follicular stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone, were added into the daily diets of worker bee larvae at different concentrations. Their growth curves were perfectly fitted by binomial fitting complex models. Effects of a single hormone and the combinations of different hormones with a follicular stimulating hormone on the development of worker bee larvae were evaluated. Our results indicated that the development of worker bee larvae at early stage was affected greatly by exogenous hormones. Larvae of 65–89h old were particularly sensitive to the effects of sexual and gonadotropic hormones, and interactions between different hormones were detected.

Keywords

worker bee larvae / sex hormone / gonadotropins