Effect of the number of spermatozoa entering the spermatheca on the onset of oviposition in naturally mated and instrumentally inseminated queen honey bees

Abstract

Many factors regarding the onset of oviposition by honey bee queens have been studied but the results are often contradictory. The purpose of this work was to investigate the effect of the number of spermatozoa entering the spermatheca on the initiation of egg laying, in naturally mated queens (NMQs) and in instrumentally inseminated queens (IIQs). The sperm number in the spermatheca, and the onset of oviposition in NMQs, as well as queens inseminated with different doses of semen, were also compared. The results showed that the beginning of egg laying in both NMQs and IIQs did not depend on how much the spermatheca was filled. Queens with 3 million and less or 3.1–4, 4.1–5, and more than 5 million spermatozoa initiated egg laying at similar time. Queens inseminated with a dose of 2x2 µl, 2x4 µl, 2x6 µl, 10 µl and NMQs had in their spermathecas 3.57, 4.23, 5.01, 3.86, and 4.36 million (on average) spermatozoa, respectively, and started oviposition at the age of 16.7, 17.3, 17.3, 15.6. and 10.2 days, respectively.

Keywords:

• Honey bee queen
• natural mating
• instrumental insemination
• number of spermatozoa in spermatheca
• onset of oviposition

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Warsaw University of Life Sciences under Grant No 505-10-07090050.