Juvenile hormone profiles of worker honey bees, Apis mellifera, during normal and accelerated behavioral development

Juvenile hormone III (JH) haemolymph titres were quantified in adult worker honey bees under colony conditions conducive to either typical or accelerated behavioral development. JH titres of bees under conditions of accelerated behavioral development were significantly higher than same-aged bees under more typical conditions, even before the onset of foraging. These results are consistent with previous findings indicating that JH plays a causal role in timing the onset of foraging behavior in honey bees. We also detected a peak of JH in 2-3 day old adult bees, the significance of which is unknown. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd.