Wasp and Honeybee Social Systems

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Questions and Answers

How do female wasps contribute to the colony after emerging from their pupae?

They become the new queen

They assist their mother in raising their siblings (correct)

They mate immediately

They leave to form new colonies

What is the primary role of the queen in a wasp colony?

To forage for food

To defend the colony against predators

To lay eggs and ensure offspring survival (correct)

To maintain colony structure

What is one of the indirect fitness benefits the queen experiences through selective cannibalism?

More food availability for her offspring (correct)

Better protection from predators

Increased birth rates of new queens

Enhanced development of male siblings

What specific food is essential for normal queen size and development in honeybees?

Royal jelly Signup and view all the answers

What genetic distinction exists between drones and worker bees in honeybee colonies?

Drones are haploid and produced from unfertilized eggs Signup and view all the answers

What behavior do 'lazy' female wasps exhibit as summer progresses?

They steal food from the worker wasps Signup and view all the answers

In terms of genetic relationships, what contributes to the behavior of the wasp queen's offspring?

Sisters share a closer genetic relation due to the haplodiploid system Signup and view all the answers

What happens to the males in a wasp colony after mating season?

They die after mating Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary reason a honeybee colony prepares to swarm?

The old queen becomes weak Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of nurse glands in a honeybee worker?

To feed younger larvae Signup and view all the answers

During the orientation flights, what helps honeybees learn the new position of their hive?

Landmarks and sunlight Signup and view all the answers

What is the main function of the brood comb in a social bee's nest?

To incubate eggs and larvae Signup and view all the answers

Which activity comes last in the sequence of tasks performed by a honeybee worker?

Foraging for pollen and nectar Signup and view all the answers

What occurs when a new queen hatches in a honeybee colony?

She kills any rivals that have also hatched Signup and view all the answers

What terminology best describes termites in terms of their social structure?

Social and polymorphic Signup and view all the answers

What does the batumen plate in a bee nest primarily function as?

Protection from predators Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Wasp colonies are ruled by a single queen, who is a precocious larva that never metamorphoses into an adult.
The queen's goal is to ensure that more food is available for her maturing sisters.
They produce "lazy" females that do not join the workforce as summer progresses.
These lazy females steal food from their working sisters
Later in the summer, males emerge, do not aid the colony, and eventually fly off to mate.
Mated females hibernate through the winter and start new colonies in the spring.

Honey bees live in colonies of hundreds of bees, each with a queen.
Queens are fed royal jelly, which is necessary for normal queen size and sexual development.
Workers can develop into sexually reproducing females but are kept undeveloped by the queen's pheromones.
Drones are haploid males produced by the laying of unfertilized eggs.
Drones are produced at the same time as new queens.

Melipona interrupta Nest

The nest is found within hollow tree branches and has a complex structure.
It includes storage pot, entrance, involucrum, batumen plate, and brood comb.

Honeybee Swarm

The hive prepares to swarm when the old queen becomes weak, which serves as a signal for workers to begin raising new larvae.
The old queen leaves with a group of workers to form a new colony.
A new queen hatches, displaces the old queen, and kills any other newly hatched rivals.
The new queen mates with drones in large flying clouds before returning to her hive and laying eggs.

Honeybee Worker Life

Workers live for about 6 weeks, with the first 3 days spent cleaning cells and then feeding older larvae.
They feed younger larvae jelly from the 6th to 14th day and become foragers, collecting pollen and nectar around 3 weeks of age.
They have a complex structure: the head consists of nurse glands and the abdomen consists of wax glands.

Honeybee Worker Activities

A worker bee first cleans the hive, then tends the brood, builds comb, guards the entrance, and finally forages.
These behaviors are correlated with physiological changes in the nurse glands and wax glands.

Honeybee Orientation Flights

They make a "fix" of the home area's position relative to the sun and landmarks nearby.
When moved to a new location, a large proportion of workers make orientation flights.
They hover outside the entrance hole, circle, and gradually increase their distance before flying off, ensuring they can return from long foraging flights.

Termites are social and polymorphic insects, living in large and well organized colonies.

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Description

Explore the fascinating social structures of wasps and honeybees. This quiz covers the roles of queens, workers, and drones in these insect colonies, highlighting their unique characteristics and behaviors. Test your knowledge on the various life cycles and societal hierarchies that define these remarkable creatures.