Parthenogenesis in bees: what type of reproduction is it and possible problems

Parthenogenesis, as a method of reproduction in bees, is the process of developing offspring from an unfertilized egg. It is a rather specific and unusual method of obtaining offspring. Parthenogenesis determines the sex of bees, the originality of male and female individuals. And the uterus, laying fertilized and unfertilized eggs, regulates the structure of the bee colony.

What is parthenogenesis

Parthenogenesis is asexual reproduction, for which the queen bee is responsible.

The word is of Greek origin and consists of two parts:

parthenos - virgin;
genesis - origin.

That is, this type of reproduction is quite reasonably called virgin. The development of eggs in the queen bee occurs without fertilization.

However, bees are characterized by an optional method of reproduction. This is a process that allows you to get offspring both through pure parthenogenesis (without fertilization) and through the fertilization of eggs. Males - drones - develop from unfertilized eggs. Consequently, fertilized eggs give rise to female offspring - females, which then divide into worker bees and queens.

Note. Males inherit only the characteristics of the maternal organism. But females can combine the signs of both maternal and paternal organisms.

In the southern breeds of bees, it is noteworthy that not only males, but also females can be formed from unfertilized eggs. These can be both worker bees and queens.

Why does the queen lay unfertilized eggs in working cells

The uterus, immediately after hatching from the chrysalis, goes on the so-called "nuptial flight". During this process, she is fertilized by a large number of drones. The queen stores sperm in special organs called sperm receptacles.

It is with the collected seminal matter that the uterus subsequently fertilizes the laid eggs.

Or - does not fertilize. Drone eggs are laid for a reason:

unsatisfactory living conditions that lead to the death of spermatozoa in the seed receptacle;
lack of stocks of seminal fluid;
consumption of all material used for insemination.

In addition, there is the concept of a drone uterus. She lays only unfertilized eggs, from which males subsequently develop - drones. A queen bee can become such for various and many reasons.

The drone queen deliberately lays her eggs in the drone comb. The diameter of the bee cell is 5 mm, and that of the drone cell is 7 mm. It’s hard not to notice such a difference, besides, the queen bee has special hairs on its abdomen. They are what allow her to distinguish drone combs from the rest.

Why is there no sperm in the queen's seed sac

Sometimes it happens that the queen's sperm does not contain sperm. This happens for several reasons:

The seminal substance is missing from the seed receptacle from the very beginning.The situation is especially relevant when the uterus has not been fertilized during the first month of the “nuptial flight”. Unfavorable weather or mass death of males can contribute to this. Such factors lead to the premature end of the mating season in queens. They don't get a chance to store seminal fluid, so the "pouch" on their abdomen is empty.
Lack of food, abnormal temperature or humidity levels in the hive, breathing or excretion problems. Under such circumstances, the spermatozoa die.
Finally, the sperm could simply run out. This is observed approximately 3-4 years after the last nuptial flight of a female bee.

All of these factors eventually lead to the queen becoming drone.

Problems related to parthenogenesis and methods and solutions

Bee parthenogenesis cannot be considered a disease. However, it also cannot be called a completely normal phenomenon. There must be a balance in everything, and if the situation is out of line, action must be taken to correct it.

Parthenogenesis is a natural process. If it proceeds without deviations, then the uterus simply lays unfertilized eggs in the drone cells, without removing the sperm from the receiver and without using it. But if laying is carried out in working combs, then it is urgent to replace the female with a fetal queen.

Besides, it is important to deal with tinders. Normally, they do not reproduce, but only collect nectar. But it happens that labor bees begin to lay eggs, from which males subsequently appear. Moreover, such females do not let fetal queens into the hive, killing them.This threatens to destroy the entire he althy bee family, so the tinders must be eliminated before they harm other members of their kind.

Parthenogenesis is not a disease, but a way of reproduction in bees. Insects use it to control and maintain a balance between the number of males and females. From beekeepers, only one thing is required: to monitor this process and prevent an excessively large number of drones from appearing in the hive.