Impact of Commercial Plastic Queen Cell Cups on Rearing Success and Development of Honey Bee Queens

Authors: ABOU-SHAARA, HOSSAM - Mississippi State University; MEHRPARVAE, SOMAYEH - Delta Research & Extension Center; Read, Quentin; Chen, Jian; AMIRI, ESMAEIL - Delta Research & Extension Center

Submitted to: Journal of Apicultural Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/24/2024
Publication Date: 11/4/2024
Citation: Abou-Shaara, H., Mehrparvae, S., Read, Q.D., Chen, J., Amiri, E. 2024. Impact of Commercial Plastic Queen Cell Cups on Rearing Success and Development of Honey Bee Queens. Journal of Apicultural Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/00218839.2024.2418682.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00218839.2024.2418682

Interpretive Summary: Plastic queen cups are commonly used in rearing honeybee queens. Concerns have been raised about the potential negative effects of plastic queen cups on the development of honeybee queens. To address this, we compared beeswax cups to various commercial plastic cups, assessing their impact on rearing success and development of honeybee queens. The results show significant variations in the dimensions of plastic cups, affecting larval acceptance, sealing, and emergence rates. Negative correlations were found between cup dimensions and rearing success. This study suggests a need for standardizing cup dimensions while ensuring queen quality, emphasizing the importance of material and dimensions in optimizing queen rearing success in beekeeping.

Technical Abstract: Queen rearing is a common practice in beekeeping activities and plays a crucial role in modern apiculture. To increase the efficiency of the queen rearing process, plastic queen cell cups have gained widespread popularity amongst beekeepers. However, concerns have arisen regarding the potential adverse effects of these petrochemical-based products on queen rearing success and their development. To address this concern, we compared beeswax cups to 10 different commercial plastic queen cups by evaluating their effects on rearing success, queen development, and physical characteristics. Our results showed that plastic queen cell cups are manufactured in a variety of dimensions (inner diameter, depth, and wall thickness). Queen rearing comparison revealed significant differences in larval acceptance, followed by sealing, and emergence rate between beeswax cups and different plastic cups. Negative correlations were observed between the inner diameter, the depth of queen cups, and the three components of queen rearing: acceptance, sealing, and queen emergence rates. While significant variation was observed among larvae weights raised in different queen cups, the differences were less pronounced for the deposited royal jelly weight measured from beeswax queen cups compared to different plastic cups. The weight and morphometric parameters of queens emerging from beeswax cups were similar to those from different plastic types. It indicates the need of standardizing queen cup dimensions without compromising the quality of queens.