{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,24]],"date-time":"2026-03-24T23:50:26Z","timestamp":1774396226090,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":47,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,24]],"date-time":"2024-09-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1727136000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004704","name":"National Research Council of Thailand","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["N42A650288"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["N42A650288"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004704","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100005621","name":"Kasetsart University Research and Development Institute","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["FF(KU) 52.67"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["FF(KU) 52.67"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100005621","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100005621","name":"Kasetsart University Research and Development Institute","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["N42A650288"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["N42A650288"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100005621","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Stingless bees, prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions, are a tribe of eusocial bees that are crucial pollinators for economic crops and native plants and, produce honey and pollen. However, colony expansion is limited by a shortage of queens for new colonies. Therefore, mass artificial rearing of virgin queens could address this in commercially managed meliponiculture. Furthermore, the <jats:italic>in vitro<\/jats:italic> rearing of queen stingless bees can improve meliponiculture management and conservation efforts. Herein, we explored the efficacy of <jats:italic>in vitro<\/jats:italic> queen rearing for <jats:italic>Heterotrigona itama<\/jats:italic>, assessing the queen\u2019s body size, reproductive organ size (ovary and spermatheca), acceptance rate into new, small colonies, and mating frequency. <jats:italic>H<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>itama<\/jats:italic> larvae developed into queens when fed with 120 \u03bcL\u2013150 \u03bcL of larval food, resulting in <jats:italic>in vitro<\/jats:italic> queens having body sizes similar to those of naturally produced queens. Microscopic analysis revealed well-developed ovaries and spermathecae in <jats:italic>in vitro-<\/jats:italic>reared queens, unlike the smaller ovaries and the absence of spermathecae in the naturally produced workers. Acceptance of <jats:italic>in vitro-<\/jats:italic>reared queens was independent of worker age, and mating frequency was low but not significantly different from naturally produced queens. These findings could enhance stingless beekeeping practices and conservation efforts for the native stingless bee species.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0306085","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,24]],"date-time":"2024-09-24T17:26:03Z","timestamp":1727198763000},"page":"e0306085","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["External morphometric and microscopic analysis of the reproductive system in in- vitro reared stingless bee queens, Heterotrigona itama, and their mating frequency"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"19","author":[{"given":"Kanyanat","family":"Wongsa","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Orawan","family":"Duangphakdee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Pisit","family":"Poolprasert","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1293-2393","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Atsalek","family":"Rattanawannee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,24]]},"reference":[{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0306085.ref001","first-page":"213","article-title":"Stingless bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini) diversity in dipterocarp forest reserves in Peninsular Malaysia","volume":"60","author":"HMW Salim","year":"2012","journal-title":"The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology"},{"key":"pone.0306085.ref002","volume-title":"Stingless Bees of Mexico: The Biology, Management and Conservation of an Ancient Heritage","author":"Springer","year":"2018"},{"key":"pone.0306085.ref003","author":"A Rattanawannee","year":"2019"},{"key":"pone.0306085.ref004","first-page":"183","article-title":"What are stingless bees, and why and how to use them as crop pollinators? 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