Abstract: The determination on the mating frequency of queens and maternity of drones is exactly among the key factors to understand the behavioral and biological characters of honeybee sub-family. In this study, the mating frequency of queens and maternity of drones were detected based on major royal jelly proteins (MRJPs) various number tandem repeat (VNTR) in Apis cerana cerana colonies, of which the queens were instrumentally inseminated with 1 or 2 drones, or mated naturally, respectively. The results showed that the mating frequencies of queens were 1 and 2 in colonies whose queens were instrumentally inseminated with 1 and 2 drones, respectively; in other two colonies whose queens mated naturally, the mating frequencies of queens were 8 and 5, respectively. In addition, all the drones originated from the unfertilized eggs laid by queens in all of these colonies, that is to say, the queens not workers, were the maternities of drones. Thus the MRJPs VNTR can be used as molecular markers to detect the mating frequency of queens and maternity of drones simply and effectively.

Key words: Apis cerana cerana, major royal jelly proteins, VNTR molecular marker, queen mating frequency, drone, maternity