Little is known about the behavioral patterns of honey bee queens. To determine if mated honey bee queens possess diel rhythmicity in behavior, we observed them in glass-sided observation hives using three types of observation regimes: focal studies consisting of 2-hour and 24-hour continuous observations as well as scan-sampling of multiple queens. All behaviors (active: walking, inspecting, egg-laying, begging for food, feeding, and grooming self; inactive: standing) occurred at all times of day and night, but no queen showed consistent diel rhythmicity in any of the individual behaviors. There were no consistent diel differences in active versus inactive behaviors or the number of bees in the queen's retinue. This arrhythmicity was unchanged despite daily changes in both light and temperature levels. The arrhythmic behavior observed by most of the honey bee queens inside the colony appears to be similar to that exhibited by worker bees before they initiate foraging behavior.
","abstract_html":"<p>Little is known about the behavioral patterns of honey bee queens. To determine if mated honey bee queens possess diel rhythmicity in behavior, we observed them in glass-sided observation hives using three types of observation regimes: focal studies consisting of 2-hour and 24-hour continuous observations as well as scan-sampling of multiple queens. All behaviors (active: walking, inspecting, egg-laying, begging for food, feeding, and grooming self; inactive: standing) occurred at all times of day and night, but no queen showed consistent diel rhythmicity in any of the individual behaviors. There were no consistent diel differences in active <em>versus</em> inactive behaviors or the number of bees in the queen's retinue. This arrhythmicity was unchanged despite daily changes in both light and temperature levels. The arrhythmic behavior observed by most of the honey bee queens inside the colony appears to be similar to that exhibited by worker bees before they initiate foraging behavior.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Johnson, Jennifer N"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"MS (Master of Science)","degree_level":"Thesis - unrestricted","degree_discipline":"Biology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2010,"date_issued":"2010-12-18T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2010-12-18T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:20:55Z","subjects":["social insects","circadian rhythm","behavior","queen","Apis mellifera","Behavior and Ethology","Ecology and Evolutionary Biology","Entomology","Life Sciences"],"languages":[],"rights":["Copyright by the authors."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1751","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Johnson, Jennifer N"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2010-12-18T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Biology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis - unrestricted"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["MS (Master of Science)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["social insects","circadian rhythm","behavior","queen","Apis mellifera","Behavior and Ethology","Ecology and Evolutionary Biology","Entomology","Life Sciences"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright by the authors."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://dc.etsu.edu/context/etd/article/3106/viewcontent/JohnsonJ113010f.pdf","https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1751"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Little is known about the behavioral patterns of honey bee queens. To determine if mated honey bee queens possess diel rhythmicity in behavior, we observed them in glass-sided observation hives using three types of observation regimes: focal studies consisting of 2-hour and 24-hour continuous observations as well as scan-sampling of multiple queens. All behaviors (active: walking, inspecting, egg-laying, begging for food, feeding, and grooming self; inactive: standing) occurred at all times of day and night, but no queen showed consistent diel rhythmicity in any of the individual behaviors. There were no consistent diel differences in active versus inactive behaviors or the number of bees in the queen's retinue. This arrhythmicity was unchanged despite daily changes in both light and temperature levels. The arrhythmic behavior observed by most of the honey bee queens inside the colony appears to be similar to that exhibited by worker bees before they initiate foraging behavior.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Lack of Rhythmicity in the Honey Bee Queen: An Investigation of Temporal Behavioral Patterns in Apis mellifera ligustica."]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Johnson, Jennifer N"],"dc:date.issued":["2010-12-18T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Little is known about the behavioral patterns of honey bee queens. To determine if mated honey bee queens possess diel rhythmicity in behavior, we observed them in glass-sided observation hives using three types of observation regimes: focal studies consisting of 2-hour and 24-hour continuous observations as well as scan-sampling of multiple queens. All behaviors (active: walking, inspecting, egg-laying, begging for food, feeding, and grooming self; inactive: standing) occurred at all times of day and night, but no queen showed consistent diel rhythmicity in any of the individual behaviors. There were no consistent diel differences in active versus inactive behaviors or the number of bees in the queen's retinue. This arrhythmicity was unchanged despite daily changes in both light and temperature levels. The arrhythmic behavior observed by most of the honey bee queens inside the colony appears to be similar to that exhibited by worker bees before they initiate foraging behavior.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://dc.etsu.edu/context/etd/article/3106/viewcontent/JohnsonJ113010f.pdf","https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1751"],"dc:rights":["Copyright by the authors."],"dc:subject":["social insects","circadian rhythm","behavior","queen","Apis mellifera","Behavior and Ethology","Ecology and Evolutionary Biology","Entomology","Life Sciences"],"dc:title":["Lack of Rhythmicity in the Honey Bee Queen: An Investigation of Temporal Behavioral Patterns in Apis mellifera ligustica."],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Biology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis - unrestricted"],"thesis:degree_name":["MS (Master of Science)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:20:55Z"}