| The Worker/Larva Ratio Effect on Progeny. Positive correlations were found between the number of nurse bees caring for larvae (the worker/larva ratio) and their larvae's subsequent adult longevity and dry weight. Adult progeny dry weight and longevity were also positively correlated, suggesting that increased longevities have a nutritional basis.;Additional analyses found that an increase in the worker/larva ratio was negatively correlated with nurse bee pollen consumption and rearing efficiencies, i.e., the number of adult progeny reared per nurse bee. This suggests that as the worker/larva ratio increased, the individual nurse bee consumed less pollen and reared fewer adult progeny. In other words, pollen consumption and rearing efficiency were positively correlated. However, these two nurse bee parameters, i.e., pollen consumption and rearing efficiency, were negatively correlated with their progeny's longevity. This suggests that progeny quality was sacrificed for progeny quantity in the small worker/larva ratios.;The Worker/Larva Ratio Effect on Nurse Bees. Over an extended period of continuous nursing (4-49 days) nurse bees showed significant decreases in ability to rear brood (decreased rearing efficiencies). This effect was more pronounced for the nurse bees of the smaller worker/larva ratios. However, the quality of progeny (as measured by longevity) reared by the older nurses did not change. Additionally, no differences were detected in the survival rates of nurses of the different worker/larva ratios tested ( 1/2/1, 1/1, 2/1, and 4/1).;The hypothesis that nursing affects nurse bee survival was tested using pollen and artificial diets composed of 23% protein and varying levels of water-soluble vitamins. On the pollen diet, nursing did not decrease nurse bee longevity. However, on the artificial diets nurse bee survival was negatively associated with the number of progeny reared. This suggests that food quality may affect both the ability to rear brood and nurse bee survival. |
