| Melatonin, N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine, produced by the vertebrate pineal gland, is a typical photoperiodic signal neuron-hormone. It's widely distributed over lots of living organisms as different as prokaryotes and vertebrates, even in plants. It is secreted by the brain cells in honeybees. We discussed the test methods on melatonin, and tested different behavior development worker's melatonin in Apis cerana cerana Fabricius by RIA (radioimmunoassay)mehtod. It showed some correlation between melatonin and the worker labor division, and there were a melatonin daily rhythm and a year rhythm of the work bees. Following is the results:1.It showed that the melatonin concentration is related to the worker labour division. The melatonin concentration in foragers was higher compared to younger bees, and the lowest melatonin level appeared in the nurse bees. The highest melatonin level came in honey foragers (148.56 pg/bee), and the lowest was the nurse bee's (19.60 pg/bee) , the former's was grossly eight times higher than the latter's.2.The melatonin concentration from cohort worker bees showed a daily rhythm: the melatonin level in day time was higher than that in night, and the highest melatonin level is 285.32 pg/bee at 5: 20.3.The melatonin concentration of the worker bees also showed a year rhythm: it was relatively lower in the foraging season ( from March to September ), and higher in the dormancy season (from October to February), and the highest melatonin level appeared in October (424.32 pg/bee).
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