To examine the mechanism underlying in behavioral transition between nurses and foragers in Apis mellifera ligustica, and identify factors that may be associated with that transition. [Methods]  We analyzed 22 genes from the heads of nurses and foragers of A. mellifera ligustica and extracted total RNAs from these two kinds of worker bees. The Real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to detect differential gene expression between nurses and foragers. [Results]  The results show that expression of the following genes; mrjp2, mrjp4, mrjp6, mrjp7, LOC406114, Hbg3, Ef-1a-f1, Obp3, Wat, Oa1, and TpnT,  was significantly different between nurses and foragers (P<0.01). Other genes; mrjp1, mrjp3, Ache, LOC406142, Mblk-1, TpnCIIIa, Ant, CSP3, Dop1, Jhe,  and Per,  were also differentially expressed, but the difference in their expression was not as statistically significant as in the previous group of genes (0.01<P<0.05). [Conclusion]  These 22 differentially expressed genes may play an important role in the behavioral transition between nurses and foragers. These results help us understand the mechanism underlying this transition and may help identify the transitional mechanism responsible for the division of labor in honeybees.