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Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae) drone sperm quality in relation to age, genetic line, and time of breeding

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 April 2015

Andrée Rousseau ,
Valérie Fournier  and
Pierre Giovenazzo
Andrée Rousseau
Affiliation:
Université Laval, 2480 boulevard Hochelaga, Ville de Québec, Québec, Canada G1V 0A6 Centre de recherche en sciences animales de Deschambault, 120-A, chemin du Roy, Deschambault, Québec, Canada G0A 1S0
Valérie Fournier*
Affiliation:
Université Laval, 2480 boulevard Hochelaga, Ville de Québec, Québec, Canada G1V 0A6 Centre de recherche en horticulture, 2480 boulevard Hochelaga, Ville de Québec, Québec, Canada G1V 0A6
Pierre Giovenazzo
Affiliation:
Université Laval, 2480 boulevard Hochelaga, Ville de Québec, Québec, Canada G1V 0A6 Centre de recherche en sciences animales de Deschambault, 120-A, chemin du Roy, Deschambault, Québec, Canada G0A 1S0
*
1Corresponding author (e-mail: [email protected]).
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Abstract

A honey bee (Apis mellifera Linnaeus; Hymenoptera: Apidae) queen’s life expectancy is strongly dependent on the number of sperm she obtains by mating with drones during nuptial flights. Unexplained replacement of queens by the colony and young queens showing sperm depletions have been reported in North America, and reduced drone fertility has been a suspected cause. The aim of this study was to evaluate drone reproductive qualities during the queen-rearing season, from May to August. Drones from two different genetic lines were reared six times during the 2012 beekeeping season at our research centre in Québec (Canada). Semen volume as well as sperm number and viability were assessed at the ages of 14, 21, and 35 days. Results showed (1) a greater proportion of older drones with semen at the tip of the genitalia after eversion; (2) an influence of rearing date on semen production; and (3) no influence of drone genetic line, age or time of breeding on sperm viability. These results highlight the necessity of better understanding drone rearing and how it can be improved to ensure optimum honey-bee queen mating.

Résumé

La durée de vie de la reine de l’abeille (Apis mellifera Linnaeus; Hymenoptera: Apidae) est dépendante du nombre de spermatozoïdes qu’elle acquiert durant les vols nuptiaux. Des remplacements de reines ainsi que de jeunes reines ayant épuisé leurs réserves de spermatozoïdes sont rapportés en Amérique du Nord et des problèmes de fertilité chez les faux-bourdons sont suspectés. Le but de cette étude était d’évaluer les qualités reproductives du faux-bourdon durant la saison de production des reines abeilles de mai à août. Des faux-bourdons de deux lignées différentes ont été élevés à six reprises au cours de la saison apicole 2012 au Centre de recherche en sciences animales de Deschambault, Québec (Canada). Le volume de sperme, le nombre de spermatozoïdes et la viabilité ont été évalués aux âges de 14, 21 et 35 jours de vie. Les résultats montrent que 1) le volume de sperme augmente avec l’âge des faux-bourdons testés; 2) le moment de l’élevage influence la production du sperme et 3) le nombre de spermatozoïdes et la viabilité des gamètes ne semblent pas influencés par la lignée génétique, l’âge ou le moment de l’élevage. Cette étude souligne la nécessité d’en connaître davantage sur l’élevage des faux-bourdons afin d’obtenir des reines abeilles adéquatement fécondées.

Type
Physiology, Biochemistry, Development and Genetics
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 147 , Issue 6 , December 2015 , pp. 702 - 711
Copyright
© Entomological Society of Canada 2015 

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Footnotes

Subject Editor: Véronique Martel

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