Insectes Sociaux

Fell, R. D.;Morse, R. A.;

doi: 10.1007/BF02223608pmid: N/A

Summary Emergency queen cell production was examined in honey bee colonies of mixed European races. Thirteen colonies were dequeened and followed on a daily basis until after queen emergence. Observations were made on the number of cells, the temporal sequence of queen cell construction, cell location within the nest, the age of larvæ selected for queen rearing, mortality of immature queens and the scenting behavior of workers in queenless colonies. Queen loss was detected within 6–12 hours and was first indicated by an increase in scenting behavior (on colony disturbance) and queen cup construction. The number of scenting workers reached a peak in 12–24 hours and then declined, as queen cell numbers increased. The time of queen cell initiation varied from 12–48 hours in different colonies. Emergency queen cells were usually started over worker larvæ less than 2 days of age (64.7%), but cells were built over 3 (25.3%) and 4 (10.0%) day old larvæ. Only 2 of 268 cells (0.8 %) were started over eggs; one survived and developed into a drone larva. In 6 colonies emergency queen cells were started over drone larvæ but these were destroyed immediately before or shortly after capping. The overall rate for queen cell construction over drone larvæ was 9.3%. The rate at which new queen cells were started after queen loss was high for two to four days, but then declined although new queen cells were started as late as eight or nine days after queen removal. The number of cells produced by a colony usually peaked by the third or fourth day and then leveled. Slight declines in total cell number often occurred because of cell mortality. The number of queen cells started by colonies varied from 11–49 with a mean of 20.4; cell mortality averaged 39.1%. Queen cells were well distributed throughout the brood nest but placement was biased toward the bottom of the frames and away from the entrance.

Dautheville, E.;Moureaux, A.;Montagner, H.;Al-Buraki, A.;

doi: 10.1007/BF02223609pmid: N/A

Resume L'essence de lavandin a un effet répulsif sur les ouvrières d'abeille âgées de moins de 24 heures. En même temps, elle favorise la formation de leur «grappage» dans la zone la plus éloignée de sa zone de diffusion. Mises en présence d'un morceau de cire où s'est formée une telle grappe, des ouvrières naïves de moins de 24 heures forment elles-mêmes une grappe ou constituent un amas au même emplacement ou dans la zone voisine dans 82 % des expériences. Le support de cire étant remplacé par du papier filtre, des abeilles naïves de moins de 24 heures forment spontanément une grappe dans 50% des expériences, en l'absence de toute essence végétale. Mises en présence de ce papier filtre, d'autres abeilles naïves de moins de 24 heures forment elles-mêmes une grappe au même emplacement que la précédente plutôt qu'à un autre emplacement, ceci de façon significative. Les papiers filtre ayant supporté une grappe sont mis dans divers solvants organiques susceptibles de «piéger» la ou les substances qui induisent l'attraction des jeunes abeilles et favorisent la formation d'une grappe par celles-ci. Le solvant alcool-éther (50%–50%) permet d'obtenir des résultats parallèles à ceux de l'expérience précédente, du début de l'expérience à 22 heures plus tard. La ou les phéromones d'interattraction et de formation de la grappe chez les abeilles de moins de 24 heures sont donc vraisemblablement solubles dans le mélange alcool-éther.

Robinson, G. E.;

doi: 10.1007/BF02223610pmid: N/A

Summary Introductions of foreign queen honey bees (Apis mellifera) to observation colonies containing individually marked workers resulted in three distinct, simultaneously occurring responses: 1) complete passivity; 2) nonaggressive balling behavior; and 3) aggressive balling behavior. Balling persisted for 9.2 h (N=12) and involved approximately 15–20% of the colonies' populations. Participation in a ball was age-dependent, with 91.2% of the balling workers 12 days old or older. Only a small fraction (0.5–2%) of the colonies' workers behaved aggressively, while the remainder displayed nonaggressive balling behavior. Aggressive workers spent significantly more time in a ball than did nonaggressive workers, but there was no difference in age between the two subgroups. Foreign queens were not killed immediately upon introduction and were not continuously attacked throughout the balling period. Balling workers gradually became conditioned to some foreign queens beginning 3–5 h after introduction; the incidence of worker aggression steaily decreased while queen activity increased. Observations of queen behavior during balling do not support the “stress pheromone hypothesis” (Yadava andSmith, 1971).

Agbogba, C.;

doi: 10.1007/BF02223611pmid: N/A

Resume J'ai analysé, chez deux espèces de Fourmis Ponérines d'Afrique tropicale, les caractéristiques de la marche en tandem et les stimuli qui interviennent, agissant sur l'ouvrièreguide ou sur l'ouvrière recrutée, pour déterminer la mise en route ou le maintien des tandems. Pour le genreMesoponera, les tandems permettent le recrutement pour la capture d'une proie mobile et volumineuse, mais aussi pour le transport collectif d'un insecte mort qui ne peut être transporté par une seule ouvrière, — ou pour la chasse d'un grand nombre de petites proies, enfin pour la récolte d'une substance sucrée. Le genreHypoponera utilise le tandem pour recruter, mais uniquement lors du dépeçage d'une proie volumineuse. D'autre part, j'ai montré que chezHypoponera sp. le nombre de tandems peut dépendre de stimuli olfactifs déterminés, perçus dans le très proche environnement de la société. Par conséquent, la modification de certains éléments de l'environnement peut avoir une action spécifique sur la manifestation d'interactions complexes observées dans les sociétés de Fourmis.

Farine, J. P.;Lobreau, J. P.;

doi: 10.1007/BF02223612pmid: N/A

Resume Les regroupements deDysdercus cingulatus sont fréquents dans la nature. L'étude expérimentale du grégarisme chez les insectes étant souvent difficile à interpréter statistiquement, une méthode originale a été expérimentée par micro-ordinateur. D'autre part, l'importance du thigmotactisme et des stimuli olfactifs a été mis en évidence. Les résultats obtenus sont analysés et discutés.

Strassmann, J. E.;Lee, R. E.;Rojas, R. R.;Baust, J. G.;

doi: 10.1007/BF02223613pmid: N/A

Summary Elevated fructose, glucose and trehalose levels were found inPolistes exclamans andP. annularis after exposure to cold. Glycerol was found only after extensive exposure to cold or in mid-winter. InP. exclamans mean supercooling points (SCP) decreased to a low of −12.9° C in February. InP. annularis SCP were never below −6.8° C in the field, but laboratory acclimation at +5° C resulted in SCP of −10.7° C. Freezing was lethal to adultPolistes under all circumstances. Workers and future queens were separated on the basis of the appearance of their fat bodies. ForP. exclamans, only 17 % of the future queens died during 15 days at +5° C (N=29) while 76 % of the workers died during identical cold exposure (N=45). The surviving future queens had elevated cryoprotectant levels consisting mainly of fructose in their hemolymph, while the few workers that survived did not. These experiments indicate that there are physiological differences between workers and future queens inPolistes collected in autumn and that fat body appearance determined using non-invasive techniques is a reliable indicator of caste. Males were similar to future queens in their response to cold indicating that autumn mating activity may extend into winter.

Jaffe, K.;Sanchez, C.;

doi: 10.1007/BF02223614pmid: N/A

Summary Camponotus rufipes (Fab.) workers recognize conspecifics from other colonies and ants from different species as aliens. Colony specific recognition is based on odours produced by the mandibular gland which also serve as alarm pheromone. This ant marks its territory with chemicals secreted by an unidentified abdominal gland, which is thus advertised to conspecifics. Marked territories near to the nest induce recruitment or at least prolonged exploration if marked by a foreign conspecific colony. The same territory outside the nest area induces a prolonged permanence of workers from the colony giving the mark. The possible relationship between nestmate recognition systems and territorial behaviour is discussed in an evolutionary context by stating the hypothesis that alarm pheromones are used for nestmate recognition by those ants possessing territorial marking behaviour.

Wilson, E. O.;

doi: 10.1007/BF02223615pmid: N/A

Summary Because social parasites are relatively rare in tropical ant faunas, new or poorly known forms deserve special attention. TwoPheidole species evidently parasitic onP. indica are here described as new species from India (P. lanuginosa, P. parasitica), while a previously known northern South American form,P. microgyna Wheeler, is redescribed and evaluated as a possible parasite ofP. minutula or a closely related host species. Next, all of the nine certain or likely social parasites ofPheidole known worldwide are compared, and an anatomical parasitic syndrome is identified through character state analysis. The nine species appear to be independently evolved. The parasitic character states have tended to evolve within each of these species at different rates, and hence the evolution is interpreted as having been not only parallel among species but mosaic in nature within species (seetable I). In spite of the lesser irregularities in this pattern, an overall trend is evident: the first changes to occur were loss of the worker caste (a loss still incomplete in the overall slightly modifiedP. inquilina), reduction of size, lengthening of the scape, reduction of sculpturing on the body surface, and broadening of the postpetiole. These shifts were followed by reduction of the mandibles and the segments of the funiculus. The generaAnergatides andBruchomyrma, each based on a single extremely advanced species, are placed in synonymy underPheidole. The problematic generaHagioxenus, Parapheidole, andSifolinia are compared withPheidole and their status evaluated. The greater known diversity of parasitic ants in the temperate zones, as compared with the tropics, remains a key problem in the study of ant evolution. Whether the difference is genuine or an artifact of differential sampling cannot be determined until more intensive collecting is undertaken in the tropics.

Potts, L. R.;Francke, O. F.;Cokendolpher, J. C.;

doi: 10.1007/BF02223616pmid: N/A

Summary The responses of the four fire ant species found in Texas (Solenopsis aurea Wheeler,Solenopsis geminata Fabricius,Solenopsis invicta Buren, andSolenopsis xyloni McCook) to varied relative humidities were examined. Humidity preferences of worker ants were determined with a linear gradient chamber. Workers alone did not exhibit any hydrokinetic responses, whereas brood tending workers of all species tested showed a marked preference (negative hydrokinesis) for saturated atmospheres (near 100 % RH). The responses are presumably due to the broods' hogher susceptibility to desiccation.