摘要 : In T. angustula angustula all males reared in a colony, are exclusively produced by the queen while the workers produce trophic eggs. Through 13 consecutive months from February 1991 to February 1992 of observations of two colonie... 展开 In T. angustula angustula all males reared in a colony, are exclusively produced by the queen while the workers produce trophic eggs. Through 13 consecutive months from February 1991 to February 1992 of observations of two colonies collected in Ribeirao Preto, SP, Brazil, males were produced mainly from February to May, although small numbers were produced in other months. The number of males in colony (a) was correlated with the number of honey pots (rs=0.72 P<0.001), the number of pollen pots (rs=0.64 P<0.01) and the number of brood combs present in the colony (rs=0.57 P<0.01). Concerning colony (b), the number of males was also correlated with the number of honey pots (rs=0.71 P<0.01), and the number of pollen pots (rs=0.55 P<0.05). It is hypothesized that as the food supply of a colony increases, so does the food consumption by workers, which promotes the development of their ovaries. As a consequence, more trophic eggs are produced which are consumed subsequently by the queen. Thus, the queen's egg-laying capacity increases as well as the colony as a whole. 收起