The impact of body mass of colony-founding queens on the characteristics of reared bumblebee Bombus lucorum colonies

Abstract

Size has been shown to influence the individual performance of bumblebee queens, but effects of queen body mass on colony characteristics are not well known. We studied the effect of queen body mass on colony initiation, worker population size and the production of sexual offspring in laboratory-reared colonies of the bumblebee Bombus lucorum. Colonies with heavier queens had longer workers-only production period and they produced larger worker populations during the colony life cycle. Colonies with larger worker populations produced a higher number of reproductive offspring. Therefore, it seems that heavy queens increase pollination services through larger worker populations. The condition of colony-founding queens may be affected by resource availability in the previous summer, consumption of body energy reserves due to overwintering conditions, and/or exposure to pathogens. Decreasing condition of colony-founding queens may negatively impact pollination services on wildflowers and cultivated plants.