An equilibrium theory of queen production in honeybee colonies preparing to swarm

Summary An equilibrium model is developed which seeks to explain the regulation of queen rearing in honeybee colonies preparing to swarm. The model postulates that there is a balance between nurse bees becoming inhibited from queen rearing and nurses losing their inhibition, and that whether a colony does or does not rear queens reflects the equilibrium percentage of inhibited nurses. This model leads to a quantitative prediction about the size of a conoly's nurse population at which queen rearing should start. Comparing the model's predictions with empirical observations pinpoints data needed for a more complete explanation of control of queen rearing. In particular, the model suggests a central regulatory role for density-dependent changes in the behaviors involved in queen substance dispersal.