Queen bee development influenced by wax cell structure, not just royal jelly, study finds
By
Anirban Mukhopadhyay
Summary
New research published in Nature reveals that the wax of the peanut-shaped queen cell in honeybee hives has distinct physical and chemical properties that help steer larval development into a queen, challenging the long-held belief that royal jelly alone determines queen status. The study from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences shows that the queen-cell wax itself plays an active role in shaping development.
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bskyQueen bee development influenced by wax cell structure, not just royal jelly, study findssciencenews.orgKey quotes
· 3 pulledA queen honeybee clings to the rough, peanut-shaped wax of its cell. New research finds that the wax itself helps shape whether a larva becomes a queen.
The wax of the peanut-shaped chamber where the queen develops has distinct physical and chemical properties that help steer its development.
Queen-cell wax helps shape honeybee queen development, challenging the idea that royal jelly alone makes a queen.
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