Vitellogenin & Juvinile Hormones

[Bcrazy]

I find snippets like this invaluable to maintain my knowledge of bees.
I know its not everyones cup of tea but anyway;


Vitellogenin. (Vit)

I have just finished a book on the growth of insects by John Smart and that he mentioned that Vitellogenin and Juvenile Hormone is produced by all oviparous female insects. So what you may think, but in the book he mentions the roles of the substances are totally the wrong way round in the Honey bee.

How many of you budding beekeepers have ever heard of Vitellognin?

Then I wonder how many care?

Vitellogenin is a female specific protein yolk produced by all oviparous (egg lying).
Alongside Vit we must consider Juvenile Hormone (JV) as these are the substances that help produce the protein and muscle building food required for the lava to become pupa and eventually imago, (the pupa that is about to exit from the sealed cell).

So what?s so special about this from other insects?

There are basically two groups of Honey bees in a colony, House bees and Foragers.
Within the house bees their Vit is produced in large quantities due to the requirement of the eggs, lava etc.
Then when they progress to forager their Vit levels cease and the JH increases to give them energy.

This relationship between Vit and JH is opposite to the norm in insects.

Fascinating No? Oh well I thought it great to know that our little bees are different in their own way to other insects.

I have search different articles on Vit & JH and found the whole subject amazing; it shows how little I know about our Honey Bees.

So finally this shows to me that the evolution of a brood rearing worker and a specialised forager in an advanced eusocial insect has been directed by an alternative utilisation of yolk protein. WOW!

Another bit of useless information, just realised i'm full of it.

Regards;

 

[BKF Admin]

Bcrazy on your travels have you come across the reason a honeybee is able to live longer in winter than summer?

Is it hormones? or lack of work?

 

[Finman]

able to live longer in winter than summer?

?

http://www.honeybeeworld.com/diary/articles/nutrition.htm

 

[Bcrazy]

How about that then Admin,
didn't have to think about an answer.

Regards;

I will write up something with a bit more information that I have which is more than what is shown above. Expect this in a couple of weeks time.

 

[mrDoe]

There is more about this online as well....

http://biblioteca.universia.net/ficha.do?id=17702541

 

[Bcrazy]

pdcambs,
Thanks for that but the paper in question I have as a pdf and its entitled Social exploitation of vitelloenin,

Regards;