On Wed, 2006-11-01 at 19:28 -0500, J. Waggle wrote:


> I was specifically selecting for grooming abilities after 
> seeing how very intense grooming is in some feral lines.

Some of us over here have been successful in breeding this trait so a
higher % are groomed, as demonstrated by damage.


> Grooming seems most prevalent in 
> my colonies during what I describe as ‘down time’ in the morning hours 
> before flights begin in earnest, mostly during warm mornings on the 
> landing boards, bees can be seen passing the time grooming.

Thanks. That's something we can look out for. I know Rodger goes out
early before he goes to his work in a Planning Department

> On some mornings,  allo-
> grooming can be so intense on the landing boards, it can occasionally look 
> like a robbing event.

I don't usually go out early, perhaps I will next year.

> So my question is, what is the trigger to uncap the cell,  and what is the 
> separate trigger that causes the bees to begin chewing down the pupa a day 
> or two later?  

I have no idea. We are looking for ways the ordinary beekeeper can
identify a good colony to breed from in their locality, not do more
exact science. Interesting they also build the cell walls a little
higher after uncapping. My presumption, until told otherwise, is that
the bees were able to reach the mite from close to the opening. This
would not deal with the daughters though. Anyone have an explanation
(last picture in a group of 10 pictures in the section characters of
varroa tolerance on the page below)?

james kilty
http://www.kilty.demon.co.uk/beekeeping/improvement.htm 


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