1. The Effect of Royalactin on Formation of Queen Bees Lee Isaacson – Warren Mott High School Raymond Marchionda – Warren Mott High School

2. Introduction For years, bees have been domesticated by man and used for their beeswax to make candles, wax tablets, and more modern developments like cosmetics and pharmaceuticals Isaacson -- Marchionda2

3. Purpose of Experiment The researchers wanted to learn more about Apis mellifera, or honey bees, and how to manipulate hives Isaacson -- Marchionda3

4. Background information The Queen Bee runs the hive: –She uses pheromones to communicate all the hives actions –Every bee is an offspring of the queen –She tells the bees when to birth a new queen when she is getting too old Isaacson -- Marchionda4

5. Background information Worker bees have wax glands similar to our sweat glands The use their secretions to build the hive along with the honey combs inside of it Without a queen, these bees wouldn’t build a complete hive, or a queen cell Isaacson -- Marchionda5

6. Background information Queen bees are typically born into a cell which is built to extend from the bottom of the hive Emergency queens can be birthed into cells on the face of a honeycomb Isaacson -- Marchionda6

7. Background information Nurse Bees secrete Royal Jelly, or royalactin, from the tops of their heads It is a complex mixture of water, proteins, sugars, lipids, vitamins and amino acids Bees meant to develop into queens are exclusively fed this Royal Jelly Isaacson -- Marchionda7

8. What Was Done The researchers fed bee eggs and larvae different types of food Food that was fed to the bees included: –Royalactin –Standard food –Mixture of royalactin and standard food The researchers wanted to see if a significant amount of larvae would turn into Queen Bees Isaacson -- Marchionda8

9. Problem Statement Is it possible to artificially produce Queen Bees by using royalactin (Royal Jelly) alone? Isaacson -- Marchionda9

10. Hypothesis The increase in the amount of worker bees that will develop into Queen Bees with artificial feeding of royalactin will be significant Isaacson -- Marchionda10

11. Materials 2 mL SyringeIncubator Protective Bee Suit 4 oz. Royalactin Sharps Container Bee Pollen Bee Honey Honeycomb Bee Larvae Observation Chamber Isaacson -- Marchionda11

12. How To Make Standard Food Make the standard food by mixing: –50 mL of honey –1.5 g of pollen –20 mL of water Isaacson -- Marchionda12

13. How To Make Food Mixture Make the mixture by combining: –25 mL Standard Food –25 mL Royalactin Isaacson -- Marchionda13

14. Procedures Fill three syringes, one with royalactin, one with standard food, and one with the mixture of both With the protective bee suit on, fill 30 cells with 2 mL of royalactin Fill 30 cells with 2 mL of the half royalctin/half standard food mix Fill 30 cells with 2 mL of standard food Heat the incubator to a temperature of 94°F Isaacson -- Marchionda14

15. Procedures Cont. Put the honeycomb into the observation chamber. Place the observation chamber into the incubator. Repeat steps each day Check on the honeycomb each day and record any noticeable changes in each chamber. On day 15 check to see if any queen bees have formed. Isaacson -- Marchionda15

17. Video Isaacson -- Marchionda17

18. Observations All trials ran smoothly. Some cells were covered with wax earlier than others. Isaacson -- Marchionda18

19. Data Measured The independent variables for the experiment were which bees were fed, and the amount and type of food they were fed The dependent variable for the experiment was the type/length of the bee on day 15. Isaacson -- Marchionda19

20. Test Performed A 2-Proportion Z test was performed because two proportions were being compared to each other to test for significance Performed twice: –Royalactin vs. Standard –Mixture vs. Standard Isaacson -- Marchionda20

21. Assumptions Isaacson -- Marchionda21

22. Equation The equation for a 2-Proportion Z test is… Null: H 0 : p 1 = p 2 Alternative: H a : p 1 ≠ p 2 Isaacson -- Marchionda22

23. Standard Food Results Isaacson -- Marchionda23

24. Mixture Food Results Isaacson -- Marchionda24

25. Royalactin Results Isaacson -- Marchionda25

26. Testing for Growth Because there were no queen bees produced, the researchers tested for any significant growth amongst the bees. The bees were considered to have experienced significant growth if their length was greater than 11mm and their width was greater than 5mm. Isaacson -- Marchionda26

27. Royalactin Results Isaacson -- Marchionda27

28. Mixture Food Results Isaacson -- Marchionda28

29. Percent of Bees with Significant Growth Standard = 0%Mixture = 3.3%Royalactin = 26.6% Isaacson -- Marchionda29

30. Results for Royalactin & Standard z = 3.0382P-Value = 0.0024 Results show a significant amount of bees experienced significant growth. A P-Value of 0.0024 shows that there is a 0.24% that these results would occur again by chance alone. Isaacson -- Marchionda30

31. Results for Mixture and Standard z = 1.0084P-Value = 0.3132 Results show there was not a significant amount of bees that experienced significant growth. A P-Value of 0.3132 shows that there is a 31% that these results would occur again by chance alone. Isaacson -- Marchionda31

32. Conclusion After running a total of 90 trials, the researcher’s hypothesis was rejected Queen Bees were not formed after being fed royalactin during development Isaacson -- Marchionda32

33. Conclusion According to the 2-proportion z test, no trials produced a significant amount of Queen Bees There was a significant amount of bees fed royalactin that experienced significant growth Isaacson -- Marchionda33

34. Why Royalactin? The bees that were fed only royalactin received all the nutrients necessary to show greater developments while the other bees didn’t receive enough of the extra nutrients. Isaacson -- Marchionda34

35. Errors The mixture of honey, pollen and royalactin had less royalactin near the end of the feeding process because it began to run out Isaacson -- Marchionda35

36. Design Flaws Other bees could have eaten the royalactin meant for larva Cold temperatures outside may have stunted growth Isaacson -- Marchionda36

37. Further Research The effect of royalactin on growth of other insects, like ladybugs The use of larger cells or queen chambers Test the behavior of fully grown bees after being fed royalactin Isaacson -- Marchionda37

38. Real World Applications To provide beekeepers a way of expanding the number of hives producing honey through Queen Rearing Varroa mites and herbicides can kill bees or the queen, so these methods could possibly replace a queen Isaacson -- Marchionda38

39. Recap Wanted to learn more about bees and manipulating hives A 2-proportion z test was used No Queen Bees were formed, although significant growth was observed Hypothesis was rejected Royalactin caused a significant amount of bees to experience significant growth Isaacson -- Marchionda39

40. Acknowledgments Eileen Byrnes Draper, Royal W. “All About Royal Jelly.” All About Royal Jelly. Draper’s Super Bee Apiaries, Inc., 2012. Web. 18 Sept. 2012 Hamdan, Khalil. "Raising Honey Queen Bees." Country Rubes. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2012.. Hoff, Mary. "Male or Female? For Honeybees, a Single Gene Makes All the Difference.” PLOS Biology. Public Library of Science, 20 Oct. 2009. Web. 17 Sept. 2012. "Honey Bee: Pictures, Information, Classification and More." Honey Bee: Pictures, Information, Classification and More. Microsoft Cooperation, 2007. Web. 20 Sept. 2012.. Isaacson -- Marchionda40

41. Acknowledgments Kamakura, Masaki. "Royalactin Induces Queen Differentiation in Honeybees.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 26 May 2011. Web. 20 Sept. 2012.. Peterson, Ivars. "Science News Online (7/24/99): The Honeycomb Conjecture.” Science News Online (7/24/99): The Honeycomb Conjecture. Science Service, 24 July 1999. Web. 12 Oct. 2012.. Prgude, Rusida. “The Composition of Royal Jelly.” Maticna Mlijec Memisevic. Prilikom Koristenja, 10 Apr. 2009. Web. 05 Dec. 2012. "Royal Jelly." Drugs Information Online. Wolters Kluwer Health, 2009. Web. 18 Sept 2012.. Isaacson -- Marchionda41

42. Questions? Isaacson -- Marchionda42

43. Questions?