A Microsurgical Technique for Removing the Spermatheca of Bumblebee Females and Its Application

TL;DR

Researchers developed a microsurgical technique to remove bumblebee females' spermatheca, finding no significant impact on their key life activities.

Contribution

A novel microsurgical technique for spermatheca removal in bumblebees was developed and validated.

Findings

Spermatheca removal had no significant effect on mating behavior or longevity of bumblebee queens and workers.

The technique resulted in high survival rates and quick wound healing in treated individuals.

Oviposition and overwintering survival rates remained unaffected after the procedure.

Abstract

In this study, we developed a microsurgical technique for removing the spermatheca of bumblebee females. Using this technique, we surgically removed the spermathecae of Bombus terrestris females (queens and workers) and investigated the effects on their key life activities, including mating behavior, longevity, the survival rate of females overwintering, and oviposition. The results showed that there was no significant impact on the mating behavior, longevity, or oviposition of queens and workers after their spermathecae were removed. These findings confirm the feasibility and practicality of this technique and provide strong technical support for elucidating the function of the spermatheca and the mechanisms of its degeneration.

To solve the technical bottleneck caused by the absence of a feasible method for removing the spermatheca in social insects, we developed a microsurgical technique specifically designed for bumblebee females. In this study, the invention of this technique is based on the anatomical characteristics of the sting chamber of bumblebees and uses a bespoke scalpel to precisely remove the spermatheca, which is small in size and deeply embedded within the body. During the removal operation, a small wound was observed and a small amount of hemolymph flowed out. The wound healed very quickly and the survival rate of treated individuals was high. The results showed that there was no significant impact on the critical life activities of queens and workers, including longevity, mating behavior, oviposition capacity, and overwintering survival rate after the spermatheca was removed using this technique. These findings further confirm the feasibility and applicability of the technique and provide strong technical support for exploring the evolutionary dynamics and potential function of the spermatheca in social insects.

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