Hi Graham and all

Graham's original question assumes that swarming is 'exclusively' a method
of reproduction.

My thoughts on this matter stem from noticing that sometimes when multiple
swarming occurs, it does so to the detriment of the parent hive which dies
out. I have also noticed that when multiple swarms occur they head off in
different directions.

My attitude is that swarming, although it has elements of, and the
appearance of a reproduction method... It is actually a way of exploring the
available forage and that extinction of any individual colony is of no
consequence, because survival of the fittest is enabled by the multiplicity
of such swarms and the different areas that they end up in.

This strategy is a flexible in its application, simply by the variance in
forage in the areas swarmed into.

In other words... a caste that finds itself in an environment with a large
concentration of  'virgin eating' birds is in a less fit place for survival
even though the virgin may have identical genetic features to others that
find themselves in good forage patches without so many birds.


Best Regards & 73s... Dave Cushman G8MZY
Beekeeping and Bee Breeding Website
http://website.lineone.net/~dave.cushman

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