Hi all,

This study provides data that drone seminal fluid impairs the vision of queens shortly after mating occurs. The study also cites work, with other insects, where the same thing happens. The idea that this would occur provokes thoughts of drone competition but the study goes on to offer some interesting physiological reasons why diverting resources from a queen's energy-intensive visual process may be beneficial in preparation for egg-laying.   

Additionally, a preliminary finding from an unrelated study presented at Apimondia indicates that seminal fluid contains toxins that can somehow kill rival sperm while leaving related sperm alive. The process reportedly can begin during sperm migration and possibly continues for a period in her spermatheca.  


>Abstract:  
>"Queens of social insects make all mate-choice decisions on a single day, except in honeybees whose queens can conduct mating flights for several days even when already inseminated by a number of drones. Honeybees therefore appear to have a unique, evolutionarily derived form of sexual conflict: a queen’s decision to pursue risky additional mating flights is driven by later-life fitness gains from genetically more diverse worker-offspring but reduces paternity shares of the drones she already mated with. We used artificial insemination, RNA-sequencing and electroretinography to show that seminal fluid induces a decline in queen vision by perturbing the phototransduction pathway within 24–48 hr. Follow up field trials revealed that queens receiving seminal fluid flew two days earlier than sister queens inseminated with saline, and failed more often to return. These findings are consistent with seminal fluid components manipulating queen eyesight to reduce queen promiscuity across mating flights."


>Seminal fluid compromises visual perception in honeybee queens reducing their survival during additional mating flights
  Joanito Liberti et al. 

I can provide the study on request.


Bill Hesbach
Cheshire CT

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html