Monday 14 October 2013

Cannibalism................



Cannibalism...............



Bee diets are pretty straightforward—pollen for the larvae, nectar for the drones and workers, and when supplies get low? Cannibalism. Honeybees are known to eat their hive mates and larvae when times get tough. It makes sense as an evolutionary control method for declining supply levels—the bees eat the youngest larvae and eggs, therefore maintaining the older population with the most value. Food supplies are also enriched with protein as a result of the absorbed young. However, bees also turn on their own because of the presence of diploid or false males. When these imposters are detected in the larval stage, workers sting them to death in their cells or cannibalize them during nursing

No comments:

Post a Comment