Honey Bee Foraging Behavior: Responses to Queens, Larvae, and Extracts of Larvae1

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Abstract
Workers of Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) from small colonies collected more syrup in cages and more nectar in the open when a caged queen was present in the hive than when no queen was present. Free-flying colonies containing larvae but no queens collected more nectar than similar colonies provided with an alcoholic extract of larvae and their food. When nectar was available, free-flying colonies with queens had more incoming bees per 4 minutes and more pollen carriers per 4 minutes than colonies without queens but with larvae or brood extracts. When nectar was not available, queenless colonies with larvae had the greatest number and percent of pollen foragers of all treatments. Extracts of larvae and their food appeared to increase both nectar and pollen foraging in the presence of a queen. However, the response was not always clearly evident, and the pheromone responsible was not identified. When nectar was freely available, foraging bees apparently collected pollen incident to nectar collection, thereby creating the appearance of a direct influence by the queen on pollen collection. However, in the absence of available nectar, when pollen also was less readily available, larvae exerted more influence on pollen collection than did the queen.

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