Effect of Honeybee Race and Worker Age on Development and Histological Structure of Hypopharyngeal Glands of Honeybee

Journal Article

Al-Ghamdi, Ahmed . 2011

• المجلة \ الصحيفة: Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences
• رقم العدد: 2
• رقم الإصدار السنوي: 18
• الصفحات: 113-116

مستخلص المنشور

Hypopharyngeal glands (HPG) of honeybee workers produce proteinic secretion to feed larvae and queens (Crailsheim, 1991 and Crailsheim, 1992). There are many factors affecting physiological status of the honeybee such as race of bees, worker age, colony conditions and the time of the year. The HPG are well developed when honeybee workers are in the nursing period. They begin to degenerate when bees start foraging. Lass and Crailsheim (1996) reported that young caged bees had smaller hypopharyngeal glands. Pollen consumption is positively correlated with gland development (Hrassnigg and Crailsheim, 1998). Yousif-Khalil (1983) clarified that the hypopharyngeal gland was the first organ that was affected by starvation, which caused a high degeneration represented by the disappearance of secretory granules, vacuoles and the much reduced size of gland acini and cells.