The effect of long-term treatment with brood pheromone (a synthetic blend of fatty acid esters extractable from the surface of larvae) on honey bee colony brood rearing was tested.  Newly initiated colonies were equalized for number of bees and amounts of empty space, stored pollen and honey, and treated for 28 days with brood pheromone.  Pheromone treated colonies reared a significantly greater brood area than controls while amount of stored pollen remained statistically similar.  Pheromone treated colonies, on average, reared 995.2 ± 95.2 se more adult bees than control colonies. Increased colony growth occurred as a consequence of brood pheromone acting on multiple complementary behavioral and physiological mechanisms.  Overall, pollen intake by pheromone treated colonies was significantly greater than controls such that a greater ratio of pollen to non-pollen foragers throughout the experimental period and pollen load weights were significantly greater in pheromone treated colonies.  Additionally, age of first foraging was significantly younger in pheromone treated colonies compared to controls, and novice foragers were significantly more likely to return carrying pollen.  Hypopharyngeal gland protein content in 7, 14, and 21 day old bees was significantly greater in pheromone treated colonies.  Combined, the latter two effects suggest that brood pheromone exerted bi-directional effects on behavioral and physiological ontogeny allocating the adult work force toward brood rearing specific tasks.  Brood nest bees showed an increased and extended capacity to rear larvae whereas novice foragers were recruited at a younger age into pollen specific foraging.  Mechanisms of brood pheromone induced increased pollen intake include increased proportion of pollen foragers, increased pollen load weight, and decreased pollen forager in-hive turnaround time.  In conclusion, honey bee larval pheromones played a significant role across multiple levels of colony organization for dividing labor and allocating protein resources associated with an important fitness trait, colony growth.