Queen bee pheromones help daughters decide whether to stay or leave the nest
Researchers have discovered that queen sweat bees use pheromones to influence their daughters' decisions to either stay and help in the nest or leave to start their own. This study provides new insights into the evolutionary origins of cooperation in insect societies.
Why it matters
Understanding the chemical basis of social behavior in insects helps scientists better comprehend the evolution of complex social structures in nature.
edited by Sadie Harley , reviewed by Robert Egan
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Add as preferred source The broad-cheeked Nocturnal-Sweat Bee (Megalopta genalis), the species studied here. Credit: USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab Female sweat bees need to make a pivotal life decision: remain in the nest to help their mother raise more offspring or leave to establish nests of their own. New research from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) found that queen pheromones help influence that choice, offering new insight into how cooperation evolved in insect societies.
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