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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Tucson, Arizona » Carl Hayden Bee Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #322656
Title: Changes in worker retinue behaviors during early establishment of adult honey bee queens

Author
item Carroll, Mark
item Brown, Nicholas

Submitted to: Journal of Apicultural Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/16/2026
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Honey bee workers meet and support their queen directly through the retinue, a small group of attendant bees that surrounds, feeds, and grooms the queen. In return, the queen releases chemical pheromone signals that communicate her presence and quality to the colony through these workers. We examined changes in the size of the worker retinue around a newly established queen during her early development from emergence to mating and eventually egg-laying. We also examined the effects of mating on queen recruitment of retinue workers over this time. Queens that had mated or been artificially inseminated had larger retinue sizes than unmated virgin queens immediately after mating. These larger retinues of mated and inseminated queens may support growth of egg laying organs needed for future colony growth. Mated and inseminated queens also had larger body masses and better developed ovaries than virgin queens. However, we detected no differences in the amounts of queen pheromone signals released by the queen to project her presence and quality. The greater attraction of retinue workers to mated and inseminated queens at this time must occur by other signals than the well known QMP pheromone signaling pathway. This understanding of queen recruitment of retinue workers may be used to improve the quality of queens reared by queen breeders.

Technical Abstract: Honey bee workers interact and support their queen directly through the retinue, a small gathering of attendant bees that surrounds, feeds, and grooms the queen. In return, the queen releases QMP pheromone chemical signals that project her presence and quality to the colony through these workers. We examined changes in the size of the worker retinue around a newly established queen during her early development from emergence to mating and eventually egg-laying. We also examined the effects of mating on queen recruitment of retinue workers over this time. Queens that had mated or been artificially inseminated had larger retinue sizes than unmated virgin queens immediately after mating. These larger retinues of mated and inseminated queens may support growth of reproductive organs needed for future egg-laying. Mated and inseminated queens also had larger body masses and better developed ovaries than virgin queens. However, we detected no differences in the amounts of queen pheromone compounds (QMP) produced by the queen to project her presence and quality. The greater attraction of retinue workers to mated and inseminated queens at this time must occur by other signals than the well known QMP pheromone signaling pathway. This understanding of queen recruitment of retinue workers may be used to improve the quality of queens reared by queen breeders.