> Historically, bee age has been estimated using measurements of wing wear and integument color change. Setal color change may be an additional parameter used to measure bee age if it is affected by sun exposure during these same activities.  The objectives of this study were to experimentally assess the effect of direct sun exposure on steal color, unicellular hair-like processes of the integument, and determine whether wing wear and integument photobleaching are correlated.

> Our results suggest that setal color change is affected by sun exposure, and is likely an accurate estimate of bee age.  We suggest that future investigations of bee aging consider a suite of morphometric characteristics due to differences in natural history and sociobiology that may be confounded by the use of a single characteristic.

The effect of photobleaching on bee (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) setae color and its implications for studying aging and behavior
Jonathan B. Koch, Byron Love, Ellen Klinger, James P. Strange

https://journals.ku.edu/index.php/melittology/article/view/4737

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