Pupal developmental temperature and behavioral specialization of honeybee workers (Apis mellifera L.).

Honeybees (Apis mellifera) are able to regulate the brood nest temperatures within a narrow range between 32 and 36 degrees C. Yet this small variation in brood temperature is sufficient to cause significant differences in the behavior of adult bees. To study the consequences of variation in pupal developmental temperature we raised honeybee brood under controlled temperature conditions (32, 34.