The effects of pollen availability on development time in the bumble bee Bombus terricola K. (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

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Abstract
Captive colonies of Bombus terricola Kirby received pollen for 8, 14, or 24 h/day. The effects of the treatment demonstrated experimentally the influence of larval nutrition on development time. The duration of the cocoon stage was positively related to both adult body size and pollen availability. The duration of the larval stage varied in a more complex way: within each treatment, duration of the larval stage was positively related to adult body size, but between the treatments, and for each of the three castes, pollen deprivation tended to lengthen the larval stage. These results reconcile divergent findings in the literature.