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Instrumental insemination and sibling mating effects on spermatozoa migration in africanized honey bee queens

Maria Alejandra Palacio^I; Lionel Segui Gonçalves^II

^IDepartamento de Genética da Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, USP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil. Actual address: UNMdP - Apiculture Area- C.C. 296 - Balcarce, Argentina
^IIDepartamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, USP, 14049-901 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil. Send correspondence to L.S.G.

ABSTRACT

The number of spermatozoa in the spermathecae of naturally mated and of instrumentally inseminated (with 1 mm³ or 5 mm³ of semen from non-sibling or sibling drones) honey bee queens was compared. The number of spermatozoa in the spermathecae increased with semen volume. Queens instrumentally inseminated with 1 mm³ of semen had an average of 0.71 x 10⁶ + 0.37 x 10⁶ spermatozoa in the spermatheca, and when 5 mm³ of semen was used they had 2.35 x 10⁶ ± 0.59 x 10⁶ spermatozoa. Naturally mated queens had the greatest number of spermatozoa in the spermatheca ( x = 6.54 x 10⁶ + 0.95 x 10⁶).
No difference was detected in queens that received semen from non-sibling vs. sibling drones. Spermathecal diameter of dissected queens varied from 1.2 to 1.5 mm, but the differences were not significant. No slgnificant correlation between spermathecal diameter and the number of spermatozoa it contained was found.

Keywords: insemination; sibling mating; spermatozoa migration; africanized honey bee queens.

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