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Queen piping

In some but not all swarming colonies young queens produce audible sound called piping Queen confinement, queen piping and swarming in Apis mellifera colonies,
Anim. Behav.
, Volume 17, p.271-278, (1969)
[1]. The piping occurs in colonies where queens are confined (see queen confinement) and afterswarms are produced Queen confinement, queen piping and swarming in Apis mellifera colonies,
Anim. Behav.
, Volume 17, p.271-278, (1969)
[1]The swarming biology and population dynamics of the Africanized honey bee,
, (1980)
[2] or in colonies producing swarms during emergency queen rearing Queen confinement, queen piping and swarming in Apis mellifera colonies,
Anim. Behav.
, Volume 17, p.271-278, (1969)
[1]. The piping of a queen inside queen cell is called quacking and the piping of a queen outside the queen cell is called tooting.

Piping is composed of a series of syllables. Duration of the syllables differ between tooting and quacking. Tooting usually starts with long syllables, lasting about 1 second. Later syllables become increasingly shorter. Duration of the last of them is about 0.25 second. Quacking usually consists of series of short syllables lasting about 0.1 second. Intervals between syllables of tooting and quacking last about 0.1 second The tooting and quacking vibration signals of honeybee queens: a quantitative analysis,
Journal of Comparative Physiology A: Neuroethology, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology
, Volume 158, Number 5, p.605–611, (1986)
[3] see also Communication with queen honey bees by substrate sound,
Science
, Volume 19, p.446-448, (1962)
[4]. Fundamental frequency of piping increases with age of queens and ranges from 200 to 550 Hz. The fundamental frequency of tooting is higher than that of quacking but in young queens the difference is small The tooting and quacking vibration signals of honeybee queens: a quantitative analysis,
Journal of Comparative Physiology A: Neuroethology, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology
, Volume 158, Number 5, p.605–611, (1986)
[3] see also Lauterzeugung und Lautauffassungsvermögen der Bienen,
Opuscula Entomologica
, Volume 6, p.1-124, (1945)
[5]Communication with queen honey bees by substrate sound,
Science
, Volume 19, p.446-448, (1962)
[4]Queen piping,
Bee World
, Volume 37, p.185–195, (1956)
[6]The mechanism of honey-bee queen piping,
Zeitschrift für vergleichende Physiologie
, Volume 48, Number 3, p.277–282, (1964)
[7] for review see Acoustical communication in honeybees,
Apidologie
, Volume 24, Number 3, p.297–307, (1993)
[8].

Queens start piping when they are one or two days old (mean±SD = 1.8±0.9 days) and some of them continue doing this at age 9 days Queen confinement, queen piping and swarming in Apis mellifera colonies,
Anim. Behav.
, Volume 17, p.271-278, (1969)
[1]. They are not able to produce quacking sound earlier than 21±3.7 hours after expansion of their wings, when they are confined for about 10 hours Influences of queen piping and worker behaviour on the timing of emergence of honey bee queens,
Insectes Sociaux
, Volume 34, Number 3, p.181–193, (1987)
[9]. During tooting a queen is standing still with her thorax tilted forward and pressed to the comb The mechanism of honey-bee queen piping,
Zeitschrift für vergleichende Physiologie
, Volume 48, Number 3, p.277–282, (1964)
[7]. Her folded wings are moving slightly.

Although the piping is audible to human ear it is perceived by bees as comb vibrations Lauterzeugung und Lautauffassungsvermögen der Bienen,
Opuscula Entomologica
, Volume 6, p.1-124, (1945)
[5]. Displacement of comb during the vibrations is about 0.1 - 1 micrometer Acoustical communication in honeybees,
Apidologie
, Volume 24, Number 3, p.297–307, (1993)
[8]. Attenuation of the vibrations is about 6 dB per 10 cm The tooting and quacking vibration signals of honeybee queens: a quantitative analysis,
Journal of Comparative Physiology A: Neuroethology, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology
, Volume 158, Number 5, p.605–611, (1986)
[3]. Tooting is perceived by confined queens only at relatively short distance of about 10 cm The tooting and quacking vibration signals of honeybee queens: a quantitative analysis,
Journal of Comparative Physiology A: Neuroethology, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology
, Volume 158, Number 5, p.605–611, (1986)
[3].

Queens exposed to tooting stop cutting queen cell Influences of queen piping and worker behaviour on the timing of emergence of honey bee queens,
Insectes Sociaux
, Volume 34, Number 3, p.181–193, (1987)
[9]. In presence of tooting, but not quacking, queens emerge from queen cells later Delay of emergence of honey bee queens in response to tooting sounds.,
Proceedings of the Koninklijke Nederlandse Academie van Wetenschappen. Series C: Biological and Medical Sciences
, Volume 84, Number 4, p.381-387, (1981)
[10]Influences of queen piping and worker behaviour on the timing of emergence of honey bee queens,
Insectes Sociaux
, Volume 34, Number 3, p.181–193, (1987)
[9] but see Lauterzeugung und Lautauffassungsvermögen der Bienen,
Opuscula Entomologica
, Volume 6, p.1-124, (1945)
[5]Effects of recorded queen pipings and of continuous vibration on the emergence of queen honey bees,
Annals of the Entomological Society of America
, Volume 64, Number 1, p.50–51, (1971)
[11]. Quacking usually occurs in response to tooting. The response can be induced by artificially generated sound Lauterzeugung und Lautauffassungsvermögen der Bienen,
Opuscula Entomologica
, Volume 6, p.1-124, (1945)
[5]Communication with queen honey bees by substrate sound,
Science
, Volume 19, p.446-448, (1962)
[4]Influences of queen piping and worker behaviour on the timing of emergence of honey bee queens,
Insectes Sociaux
, Volume 34, Number 3, p.181–193, (1987)
[9]The tooting and quacking vibration signals of honeybee queens: a quantitative analysis,
Journal of Comparative Physiology A: Neuroethology, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology
, Volume 158, Number 5, p.605–611, (1986)
[3].
Queens which survived queen fighting were piping more often The role of the vibration signal during queen competition in colonies of the honeybee, Apis mellifera,
Animal Behaviour
, Volume 61, Number 6, p.1173–1180, (2001)
[12]. In response to piping workers stop their activity and become motionless Lauterzeugung und Lautauffassungsvermögen der Bienen,
Opuscula Entomologica
, Volume 6, p.1-124, (1945)
[5]. The aggressive interactions directed by workers towards the queen were more frequent before tooting than afterwards The behavior of honeybees (Apis mellifera ligustica) during queen duels,
Ethology
, Volume 107, p.1-22, (2001)
[13]. Playing of recorded piping to colonies with single young unmated queen can result in departure of a swarm Queen confinement, queen piping and swarming in Apis mellifera colonies,
Anim. Behav.
, Volume 17, p.271-278, (1969)
[1]Influence of artificial queen-piping sound on the tendency of honeybee, Apis mellifera, colonies to swarm,
Insectes Sociaux
, Volume 21, Number 3, p.283–287, (1974)
[14].

It is believed that by piping queens inform other queens about their presence and prevent emergence of more than one queen at a time Tanzsprache und Orientierung der Bienen,
, Berlin, (1965)
[15]. Another function of piping can be communications between young queens in order to asses their fighting abilities and avoiding fighting A theoretical analysis of individual interests and intracolony conflict Ddrring swarming of honey bee colonies,
Journal of Theoretical Biology
, Volume 165, p.191-212, (1993)
[16]Acoustical communication in honeybees,
Apidologie
, Volume 24, Number 3, p.297–307, (1993)
[8]. It is also possible that queens toot to prevent worker aggression Which takes the initiative in the virgin queen's flight, the queen or the workers,
Insectes Sociaux
, Volume 4, p.91-106, (1957)
[17]The behavior of honeybees (Apis mellifera ligustica) during queen duels,
Ethology
, Volume 107, p.1-22, (2001)
[13].

Historical references: The feminine monarchie,
, Oxford, (1609)
[18]New observations on bees,
, Hamilton, (1792)
[19]La sciamatura e il canto delle api regine nei versi di Virgilio,
Rivista di Divulgazione di Cultura Agraria
, Volume 1, p.99-140, (2020)
[20]
Other references: The queen bee's siren,
New Scientist
, Volume 18, p.501-503, (1963)
[21]Über Bienentöne, Bienensprache und Bienengehör,
Archiv für Bienenkunde
, Volume 4, p.221–259, (1922)
[22]