I believe this would be correct, that once they give up the Vg, it's gone and they would age as any other forager, minus the strains of the wild outside the hive. I wonder if they may get back any Vg when fed as a queen, if they are in fact fed this way. Per Oliver's articles on the subject, a winter bee had a long life when it has not raised brood, and winter bees that have been exposed to brood pheromones had shorter lives. This would certainly apply to the typical laying worker, meaning they likely would not have a significantly longer life than an average forager. Does this make sense or have I overlooked something?
