The influence of colony population and brood rearing intensity on the activity of detoxifying enzymes in worker honey bees

Cohorts of worker honey bees from a single parental hive, cross‐fostered into colonies which differed in population and other colony parameters, were assessed for activities of enzymes involved in metabolic detoxication. Activities of glutathione S‐transferase and mixed‐function oxidase enzymes were negatively correlated with foster colony population, but positively correlated with the ratio of larvae (brood)/adult workers. Worker bees which had begun foraging had enzyme activity levels higher than any found in bees which were still performing in‐hive duties. Elevated levels of detoxifying enzymes in colonies with low populations and high ratios of larvae/adults may be a protective mechanism to prevent poisoning of larvae by toxins brought to the colony by foragers.