>I posted a question recently in "solstice and bees" wondering what cues
>prompted the resumption of brood rearing.  No one seemed to have any
>opinions on the subject.  I will try to rephrase the question in hope that I
>can encourage someone discussion.
 
I remember once hearing/reading about hives with 'local' (read: bees
bred in the areas) that were moved to new locations.  My memory of it
was a French location that had a boomer of a dandilion honey flow
early in the spring, but little main crop or autumn flows.  The other
site was a (Scottish?) heather site, where there was no flow of any
sort until the calluna flowered in late autumn.
 
The bees in their 'home' locations had population build ups to suit -
the French bees brooding up very early, the heather bees remaining as
a small colony through the spring and summer, but with main brood
rearing late in the season.
 
The story went that swapping the hives to the other location caused
havoc for both sets of hives.  One lot didn't build up in time to get
the dandilion flow.  The other built up in the spring when there was
nothing there for them and then collapsed before the heather finally
appeared.
 
The 'punchline' was that it took the colonies 3 to 5 generations
before the 'smarts' were instilled in their genes to allow them an
appropriate broodrearing strategy for the local conditions.
 
NOTE: This is a good story only, and I've quoted it often, but I
can't for the life of me remember where it came from, or the
credence that could be given to it!!
 
  (\      Nick Wallingford
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