Social control of egg-laying in independently nest-founding bumble bee queens.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Evolution has shaped diverse reproductive investment strategies, with some organisms integrating environmental cues into their reproductive decisions. In animal societies, social cues can further influence reproductive decisions in ways that might support the survival and success of the social group. Bumble bees are a lineage of eusocial insects wherein queens initiate nests independently. Bumble bee queens enter their eusocial phase only after successfully rearing their first offspring and thereafter exhibit an increased rate of egg-laying. We tested the idea that during bumble bee nest initiation, queen reproduction is socially context-dependent and under the control of social conditions in the nest.

Results

Our findings reveal that in the bumble bee Bombus impa

SUBMITTER: Peto BR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11980249 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature