Dee Lusby writes:
>As for thelytoky in native European bees, Mackensen showed that european
>bees in the United States of 3-banded Italian showed about 9% thelytoky
>and Caucasian showed about 23% thelytoky.

23% of what? Of all hives? Of queenless hives? Or of all workers? Or of
laying workers? This is vague. Most bee researchers regard thelytoky as
extremely rare and an aberration. If you are going to quote Otto Mackensen
you should refer to the book or paper so people can read the text for
themselves. My info says:

"rarely, virgin queens of our bees may lay eggs that develop into females"
(Mackensen 1943) -- from "Contemporary Queen Rearing" Laidlaw, 1979.

"After a few weeks, 10% or so of the worker ovaries are capable of
producing eggs in four to eight ovarioles that develop. These workers
cannot mate, so all the eggs they produce are unfertilized and hence
develop into males. Dewey Caron, "Honey Bee Biology and Beekeeping", 1999

Also, you wrote:
>[we] make our stock darker for better winter carryover and disease control.

Where has it *ever* been shown that there is a connection between the color
of bees and these other characteristics? I have pointed out that there are
tropical bees that are jet black, and yellow bees that winter perfectly
well at latitudes about 45 degrees. Can back your statements up with *any*
independent study?


Peter Borst <[log in to unmask]>