In article <[log in to unmask]>, Jim Moore DTN276- 9448 ogo1/e17 508-496-9448 <[log in to unmask]> writes > I read in a book, sorry I can't remember which >one, that Carnolian's will steal and egg to make a >queen and that it is typically an Italian queen that is >produced. > > What kind of bees were in the Nuc? > > Jim Moore > moore@aiag,enet.dec.com I have attached a reply which should prevent a lot of the same questions being asked on the list. I hope that this adds some value to the discussion. In message <"mailhub.un.353:06.08.96.09.36.40"@uni-konstanz.de>, Kirchner <[log in to unmask]> writes <snip> >Let me first ask some questions: > >Which race of bees are you keeping? >What do the bees in the colony from which you took the workers for the nucs >look like? > Are they different in color or size from other colonies? >Do you have a queen excluder in this colony? Have you ever seen worker brood >above the queen excluder (long after >introduction of the excluder)? >Do you mark your queens? How old is the queen of that colony? >Where is it coming from? >Did you recognize a lot of supersedure during the past years? >Any change in the tendency of the colonies to swarm ar to abscond? <snip> Wolfgang, Thank you for your very prompt response. I shall try to answer your questions as accurately as I can. I am not a scientist, however, so my answers may appear a bit "wooly". 1. I have kept bees for about 4-5 years now and have acquired them from a variety of sources. Initially this was from suppliers such as Thornes and Steele & Brodie, but I have also collected some swarms from neighbours gardens. Consequently, I expect that my bees are a hybrid rather than any pure race. I have certainly never tried to maintain a pure breeding stock and do not feel that I have sufficient knowledge to determine one race from another. 2. Could you be a bit more specific about what you mean? I do not really understand what it is that you are asking me to describe. I have to admit that I didn't follow the procedure for obtaining nurse bees as closely as I might have done. I simply shook frames of unsealed brood into a box (having made sure that I didn't take the queen) and scooped them up with a cup and ladled them into a mini-nuc. I tried to make sure that there were no drones on the frames that I shook but I couldn't be certain. I guess that this is sloppy procedure, eh? 3. Because I intended to stock a number of mini-nucs at the same time, I went through about 5-6 colonies to get enough bees. Whenever I thought that I had enough bees in the box to stock a couple of mini-nucs, I ladled them in. Consequently, I cannot be sure which colony the bees in this particular mini-nuc came from. 4. Generally, the answer to your question is "yes", I do use queen excluders. However, I had been having difficulty in getting foundation drawn out in some of the supers so I left them off one or two hives. 5. The only time that I can remember seeing brood above the queen excluder is when I accidentally trapped the queen above the excluder during an inspection. On subsequent inspections I have always detected the eggs/brood and returned the queen to the lower chamber where she belonged. 6. I make it a policy to always mark the queen whenever I can find her. However, I would be lying if I said to you that all of my queens were marked. That simply isn't true. At least two of my colonies do not have marked queens because I have never been able to find them. I have contented myself with knowing that there was brood at all stages of development in the colony. 7. From what I have read, colonies that are headed by queens in their second or third year are more likely to swarm. Consequently, I have always tried to replace the queen during its second year. In fact, I didn't want to have to buy-in any more queens and that is why I was geering-up to produce my own with the mini-nucs. Some of the colonies have queens that are just coming to the end of their first year and some are a little older. If you asked me to guarrantee that no colony had a queen older than two years in it though, I could not do this (see 6 above). 8. I have not detected any evidence of supercedure/swarming (i.e. queen cells) at all this year. That may be because I tried to ensure that all of the colonies went into last winter with a young mated queen. I have also made sure that they have had plenty of space for expansion during the course of this year and have given them plenty of foundation to draw out. 9. I am not aware of any swarming or absconding this year. However, my apiary is in an orchard away from my home and it may have occurred without my knowledge. Two hives did get blown over earlier in the year but they didn't abscond. I set them back on their stand and they have, more-or-less, recovered during this summer. In previous years, I have not always been as diligent about looking after my colonies because of time contraints (i.e. assignments for my MBA) but this year, I have really tried to take care of them properly. It is the age of the queen cell that intrigues me. If my calculation is correct then they must have developed the queen cell over the last 9-15 days. Now, unless I have done something stupid, I do not see where they could have obtained a fertilised egg. I thought that workers were not capable of laying fertilised eggs and could only become drone-layers. Are you saying that workers from A.m capensis can produce fertilised eggs? If this is so, how are we to be able to find the queen amongst all of the other workers in a fully stocked hive in order to mark her? I look forward to your reply, - Paul - -- Paul Walton [log in to unmask] Toddington, Bedfordshire, England. Tel. +44 (0)1525 875570 -- Paul Walton [log in to unmask] Toddington, Bedfordshire, England. Tel. +44 (0)1525 875570