Transfer of pheromone from immature queen honeybees, Apis mellifera

ABSTRACT. Immediately after visiting cells containing immature queens, workers of Apis mellifera L. were observed to engage in prolonged cleaning, particularly of their tongues when they had visited larvae, and of their antennae when they had visited pupae. Thereafter other workers usually initiated and made antennal contacts with them. During such antennal contact the bee that had visited the queen larva often donated food. The implication of these findings on the distribution of pheromone produced by immature queens is discussed. Workers were stimulated to make antennal contact with the excised heads of bees from a queen's court, providing further evidence that queen pheromone is transferred between workers' antennae.