Hi Trevor and Everyone, > I have read in a couple of books and believe to have seen it that emerging bees may sometimes be small but they all feed on pollen and continue to grow to average size. >We were told in years gone by by the experts here in Australia that bees do not get bigger after they are born.... I have been told the same thing. But wonder if it is true. I often marked my breeder queens when queen rearing. Immediately after mating, most of the queens would be small in both the thorax and abdomen. A month later most of those runts could look pretty impressive. The paint spots would stay the same size(I think) but the thorax would be much larger. Regards Dennis :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and other info --- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::