OBSERVATIONS ON THE BROOD DEVELOPMENT IN BOMBUS IGNITUS (HYMENOPTERA, APIDAE) : I EGG-LAYING HABITS OF QUEENS AND WORKERS
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概要
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Observations on the oviposition behavior in two colonies of Bombus (Bombus) ignitus Smith were made in Tochigi Pref., Japan, with observation nest boxes. 1. The intervals between ovipositions were rather irregular in colony A, whereas relatively regular except in early July in colony B, ranging from 0.3 to 4 days (m.=0.5 days) as shown in Table 1. 2. Egg cells were built on brood cells of one to seven days after cocoon spinning, never on those before cocoon spinning (Table 2). 3. In general, egg cells were attached to the outside slightly below, never on, the top of a cocoon. The abnormal egg cells were hardly noticed except for an egg cell built on the outer side of a vacated cocoon in colony A. 4. The behavior pattern of egg-laying queen is briefly described. Egg cells were always built by the queen alone. Workers played no important part in the cell construction. All eggs in a cell were laid at a time. Additional ovipositions into the cell already with eggs and sealed were never seen. No mass of pollen was deposited into the egg cells either before or after oviposition. 5. The egg cells were mostly 6 to 7 mm (m.=6.6 mm) in the maximum width and 4 to 6.5 mm in height (Table 3). In colony B, 94 egg cells were made by the queen during the period from beginning of the foundation of the colony to the disappearance of the queen. The total eggs produced by the queen are estimated approximately at 676.8. 6. In colony B the aggressive behavior among workers was observed soon after the disappearance of the queen. The behavior of the costruction of egg cells and the oviposition by workers was not qualitatively different from that by the queen. But the places where worker egg cells were built and cell constructing activity varied extremely. 7. The orientation of worker eggs in egg cells was considerably irregular ; eggs laid leaning against the cell wall were sometimes observed. No mass of pollen was deposited into the worker egg cells either before or after oviposition. The number of eggs laid by workers in each cell ranged from 2 to 13 (m.=5.9). 8. In general, worker egg cells were seldom built independently, mostly built in close contact with one another to form a large mass of cells. The size of worker egg cells varied considerably, mostly 5 to 6.6 mm (m.=5.6 mm) in width.
- 日本昆虫学会の論文
- 1971-10-30