Age and behavior of honey bees, Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae), that perform vibration signals on queens and queen cells

The vibration signal of the honey bee (Apis mellifera) may play a central role in the regulation of queen behavior during reproductive swarming and supersedure. We examined honey bee workers that performed vibration signals on queens and developing queen cells in three observation hives, each containing a population of marked bees of known age. In all three colonies, workers of all ages greater than 2 d old could perform vibration signals on queens and queen cells. However, most signals were performed by a small proportion of the bees of greater than 10 d of age. Relatively few workers less than 10 d old vibrated queens and queen cells, even though this age-group is typically associated with queen care. Thus, the regulation of queen behavior by the vibration signal may occur primarily through a relatively small subset of older workers that, under most circumstances, have only limited involvement with queens. It is unclear what triggers the vibrating of queens. workers producing vibration signals did not differ from same-age non-vibrating controls in rate of locomotion in the hive or in task performance, and they rarely engaged in foraging, even though the majority of observed bees were of foraging age; vibrators also did not spend more time with queens and queen cells compared with controls. Vibration signals performed on queens and queen tells therefore do not appear to be influenced by task performance or increased contact with queens.