Drone and Worker Brood Was Unexpectedly Well Heated Both in Standard-Cell and Small-Cell Comb Colonies

Abstract

Temperatures of worker- and drone-brood rearing in various hive locations were compared in both colonies kept on small-cell combs (4.90 mm) (SMC) and standard-cell combs (5.50 mm) (STC) in two seasons. Temperatures close to the worker-brood comb placed near the rightmost storage-comb were lower than those near the worker brood in the nest centre but equal to those near the outskirt drone-brood comb (34.37-35.24°C) regardless of the month and the comb-cell size. Temperatures of the brood rearing in the SMC did not differ from those in the STC, independently on the location (center-periphery) and the brood type (drone-worker). Occasionally, they were even higher in the STC near the peripheral drone-brood comb and in the nest centre. We concluded that the drones which are involved in colony reproduction could affect its thermoregulation. The peripheral drone brood can be heated just as well as the worker brood, if the colony is strong enough and has the proper drone-worker ratio. Therefore, it is doubtful whether a higher temperature near the worker brood in the SMC limit the development of the V. destructor population. A lower temperature may not be a factor in encouraging V. destructor females to prefer trap-drone-combs for reproduction in the SMC. Strong field colonies may be especially prone to such behaviour. Therefore, temperature cannot be considered a mechanism of effective Varroa control in SMC.

Effect of Rearing in Small-Cell Combs on Activities of Catalase and Superoxide Dismutase and Total Antioxidant Capacity in the Hemolymph of Apis mellifera Workers

“…In the cage experiment, with the exception of SOD, the activity of antioxidants decreased significantly between days 1 and 7 (as in the apiary experiment), but then persisted at a similar level. The decrease in the antioxidant activities between days 1 and 7 may be associated with the change in the habitat from the conditions prevailing in the capped comb cell with a constant high temperature (34.44–35.39 °C) [ 46 ] to the less precisely regulated conditions of the nest and external environment. We collected hemolymph from 1-day-old worker bees immediately after their emergence from the comb cells; therefore, their metabolism may not yet have reacted to the change in the conditions.…”

Reproductive Potential Accelerates Preimaginal Development of Rebel Workers in Apis mellifera

“…They spend considerable energy to maintain brood nest temperature in the range of 32–36 °C. In our apiary, we constantly monitored the temperature in the nest (compare to [ 30 ]), which was approx. 35 °C (both in C1 and C2 boxes) during the experiment.…”