Pheromone and morphometric features of honey bee (Apis mellifera) queens imported to Canada from around the globe
4 affiliations
- 1Michael Smith Laboratories, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- 2Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America
- 3Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
- 4Life Sciences Institute, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Abstract
Canada imports approximately 300,000 honey bee queens annually to support the beekeeping industry, in addition to producing queens domestically during the short rearing season. Over 80% of imported queens come from the U.S., with additional contributions (~5% each) from Italy, Australia, and Chile. We conducted morphometric analysis and pheromone profiling of domestic and imported queens representing all four dominant exporting countries, including “vaccinated” (transgenerational immune-primed, or TGIP) and non-TGIP queens from the U.S., to compare their physical and pheromonal qualities. Imported queens differed morphometrically from domestic queens, and this difference was driven by smaller ovary size (a plastic metric exhibiting transient changes due to temporary confinement). Queen retinue pheromone (QRP) profiles also differed in domestic and imported queens, and PERMANOVA analysis showed that transit duration and ovary size were the top two explanatory factors. TGIP queens tended to have lower pheromone abundances than non-TGIP queens; a pattern that does not appear to be driven by pre-existing morphological differences. This study did not assess whether morphometric and pheromone differences affect acceptance rates or performance, nor whether immune priming offers benefits if pheromone discrepancies are enduring. By the measured laboratory metrics, domestic (Canadian) queens are comparable or better on several dimensions and investment in local production appears justified.
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BibTeX
@article{mcafee2026pheromone,
title = {{Pheromone and morphometric features of honey bee (Apis mellifera) queens imported to Canada from around the globe}},
author = {Alison McAfee and Brendan Daisley and Dylan J. L. Brettingham and Elizabeth Mallory and Christine Macpherson and Armando Alcazar Magaña and Emma Allen-Vercoe and David R. Tarpy and Leonard J. Foster},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0359657},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0359657},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Pheromone and morphometric features of honey bee (Apis mellifera) queens imported to Canada from around the globe
AU - Alison McAfee
AU - Brendan Daisley
AU - Dylan J. L. Brettingham
AU - Elizabeth Mallory
AU - Christine Macpherson
AU - Armando Alcazar Magaña
AU - Emma Allen-Vercoe
AU - David R. Tarpy
AU - Leonard J. Foster
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/07
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0359657
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0359657
AB - Canada imports approximately 300,000 honey bee queens annually to support the beekeeping industry, in addition to producing queens domestically during the short rearing season. Over 80% of imported queens come from the U.S., with additional contributions (~5% each) from Italy, Australia, and Chile. We conducted morphometric analysis and pheromone profiling of domestic and imported queens representing all four dominant exporting countries, including “vaccinated” (transgenerational immune-primed, or TGIP) and non-TGIP queens from the U.S., to compare their physical and pheromonal qualities. Imported queens differed morphometrically from domestic queens, and this difference was driven by smaller ovary size (a plastic metric exhibiting transient changes due to temporary confinement). Queen retinue pheromone (QRP) profiles also differed in domestic and imported queens, and PERMANOVA analysis showed that transit duration and ovary size were the top two explanatory factors. TGIP queens tended to have lower pheromone abundances than non-TGIP queens; a pattern that does not appear to be driven by pre-existing morphological differences. This study did not assess whether morphometric and pheromone differences affect acceptance rates or performance, nor whether immune priming offers benefits if pheromone discrepancies are enduring. By the measured laboratory metrics, domestic (Canadian) queens are comparable or better on several dimensions and investment in local production appears justified.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -