Differences in drone and worker physiology in honeybees (Apis mellifera)

Free access article

Issue		Apidologie Volume 36, Number 2, April-June 2005 the neglected gender - males in bees


Page(s)		255 - 277
DOI		10.1051/apido:2005015
Published online		01 June 2005

Apidologie 36 (2005) 255-277
DOI: 10.1051/apido:2005015

Differences in drone and worker physiology in honeybees (Apis mellifera)

Norbert Hrassnigg and Karl Crailsheim

Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, A8010 Graz, Austria

(Received 22 December 2004 - revised 19 January 2005 - accepted 20 January 2005; Published online: 1 June 2005)

Abstract - Drones and workers have completely different roles in a honeybee colony. This is reflected in many physiological, morphological and behavioural differences. Our overview mainly focuses on aspects of diet and metabolism in larvae and adults, and on the physiology of digestion. As larvae, drones have different protein and sugar requirements than workers, and in each life stage drones and workers differ in body composition (percentages of glycogen, lipids and proteins). Like queens, drones as adults are nourished by worker-prepared food, and compared to workers their ability to digest is reduced. Mature drones fly usually only under optimal weather conditions. Their flight metabolism and resting metabolism also differ from those of workers. We discuss these differences as adaptations to the different functions of the two sexes within the colony as a superorganism.

Key words: nutrition / digestion / enzymes / energy metabolism / body reserves

Corresponding author: Norbert Hrassnigg nigg@uni-graz.at

© INRA, DIB-AGIB, EDP Sciences 2005

What is OpenURL?

The OpenURL standard is a protocol for transmission of metadata describing the resource that you wish to access. An OpenURL link contains article metadata and directs it to the OpenURL server of your choice. The OpenURL server can provide access to the resource and also offer complementary services (specific search engine, export of references...). The OpenURL link can be generated by different means.

If your librarian has set up your subscription with an OpenURL resolver, OpenURL links appear automatically on the abstract pages.
You can define your own OpenURL resolver with your EDPS Account. In this case your choice will be given priority over that of your library.
You can use an add-on for your browser (Firefox or I.E.) to display OpenURL links on a page (see http://www.openly.com/openurlref/). You should disable this module if you wish to use the OpenURL server that you or your library have defined.