following Woyke
The present investigation shows that brood disappears-and is eaten-in the centre of the brood nest in normal colonies throughout the season. Thorough observations made by the author on thousands of unsealed brood sometimes revealed dead larvae in cells taken from normal colonies, and many of these larvae had a supply of food.
Partly eaten larvae were also encountered, and these were not dead when eating commenced, because peristaltic and respiratory movements were still visible. Little is needed to induce workers to eat larvae: altering the position of a brood comb in the hive may be so. In the Indian bee (Apis cerana indica), merely inspecting a drone comb and replacing it can lead to some or all the brood in it being eaten.
It is thus concluded that, of the disappearing brood, a high proportion at least is eaten alive. Races- and colonies- are likely to have different genetic predispositions to eat live brood. In Apis cerana indica, well grown larvae were eaten in the highest proportion (Woyke, 1976), whereas in the present study on Apis mellifera, larvae were most commonly eaten at 1-3 days old.
Pollen may be available in one comb, and not in another, or even in another part of the same comb. So the bees with no pollen near by, eat brood instead ...
J. Woyke (1977) Cannibalism and Brood-Rearing Efficiency in the Honeybee,
Journal of Apicultural Research, 16:2, 84-94, DOI: 10.1080/00218839.1977.11099866
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