In 1982, Peter Fluri decoupled long lifespan from pollen intake:

Four physiological parameters (haemolqmph-juvenile hormone titre,, protein concentration,
vitellogenin concentration, and pharyngeal gland dry weight) were examined in the following categories of
queenrlght adult worker bees: summer bees 140 days old, winter bees 80-130 days old, 12-100 day old bees
at the beginnmg of winter, 100-195 day old bees at the end ofwinter. and 1-100-day old bees experimentally
induced to live longer in summer.

In contrast to the continuously increasing titre ofjuvenile hormone in ageing summer bees, winter bees
kept a constant low level. In bees at the beginning of winter, the hormone titre never reached high values.
However, at the end ofwinter it rose from a low to a high level, comparable with the high titre of 24-40 day
old summer bees. In experimentally induced longlived bees in summer, the juvenile hormone titre did not
increase as in normal summer bees but remained low as in bees at the beginning of winter. 

The results support the hypothesis of polyphenism being regulated by the titre of juvenile hormone in the haemolymph.

* * *

Bees with a long life span were induced in summer
following the method of MAURIZIO (1954), by
enclosing the queen of a normal colony in a cage. The
queen no longer laid eggs, but the colony felt
‘queenright’. Newly emerged bees. which were
introduced into the hive. had no opportunity to rear
larvae. Under these conditions most of them lived
longer than 100 days. Measurements were carried out
between July 8 and 15 October. The titre of juvenile
hormone rose during the first 12 days as it did in bees
of untreated colonies (controls). But afterwards it
ceased to increase in contrast to the findings in the
controls. On day 100, it corresponded to the hormone
concentration of winter bees. 

The amounts of total proteins and of vitellogenin
from day 6 to 100 were as high as in winter bees.
in winter bees.

In experimentally induced longlived bees in
summer, the changes in the four physiological
parameters were similar to those found in bees at the
beginning of winter. However. in the latter case the
haemolymph levels of total proteins and of
vitellogenin were slightly lower than in the
experimentally longlived bees in summer. This
difference might have been caused by the supply of
pollen, which was better in summer than at the
beginning of winter.

This suggests the regulation of longevity and associated
physiological characteristics by a low titre of juvenile hormone.

Fluri, Peter, et al. "Changes in weight of the pharyngeal gland and haemolymph titres of juvenile hormone, protein and vitellogenin in worker honey bees." Journal of Insect Physiology 28.1 (1982): 61-68.

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