Abstract: To understand the worker policing mechanism of honeybees, we compared the surface ultrastructure of queen-laid diploid and haploid eggs of Apis cerana cerana to that of worker-laid eggs using SEM and conducted a detailed comparative analysis on chemical components of newly laid (0 h) and 5 h eggs of various types by GC-MS. The results show that the egg surface is covered with an outer layer typified by hexagonal structures filled with small nodules and there are no differences between different types of eggs. The chemical components coating queen eggs, diploid and haploid, are more abundant than those of workers. C27∶2 and C27∶1 may be the chemical pheromones on the egg surface.

Key words: Apis cerana cerana, egg, ultrastructure, chemical components, worker policing