Consumption rate of some proteinic diets affecting hypopharyngeal glands development in honeybee workers

Journal Article

Al-Ghamdi, Ahmed . 2011

• المجلة \ الصحيفة: Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences
• رقم العدد: 1
• رقم الإصدار السنوي: 18
• الصفحات: 73-77

مستخلص المنشور

Hypopharyngeal glands (HPG) or brood food glands are located
in worker honey bees’ head and produce protein aqueous
secretions (Jelly). These secretions are fed to the larvae and
queens (Crailshem, 1991, 1992). The diameters of HPG are often
used to describe the physiological status of worker honeybees.
The normal course of development of these glands (size
of acini) is well known (Maurizio, 1954; Simpson et al.,
1968; Moritz and Crailsheim, 1987; Crailsheim and Stolberg,
1989).
At normal condition they are well developed when bees are
nursed and they degenerate when bees become foragers. It depends
on age of workers, the colony conditions and the time of
the year. The effect of worker age on the hypopharyngeal
glands development was examined by Huang and Otis
(1989). Feeds containing protein additives had longer acini in
the lobules of the hypopharyngeal glands. Also, pollen consumption
is positively correlated with gland development degree
(Crailsheim and Stolberg, 1989; Hrassnigg and
Crailsheim, 1998).