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Lecture Notes

A bit more about the queen's estrus cycle. It is quite complex and has five different stages, or phases: proestrus, estrus, interestrus, diestrus (or metestrus), and anestrus. Each stage involves significant changes in hormones and behavior.

We will not discuss the details of each stage here but will point out the period of sexual receptivity - or estrus. Estrus begins when the queen allows the male to mount her and breed. Since ovulation is paired with mating, this is therefore also the stage of the cycle during which the queen will ovulate.

Many people also refer to estrus as heat.