In reply to a comment I had made concerning which bees leave in a swarm, Dave told the list of research that had identified swarms as "mostly" consisting of bees from the same caste, and Jim misinterpreted this to mean bees with different mothers.

I keep referring to Tom Seeley's wonderful book, The Wisdom of the Hive, and am about to again.  While certainly not a beginners text, it should be read by all beekeepers!   

Tom points out that he, and other researchers, have found that within a hive there are usually several castes.  These have the same mother, but different fathers.  What is fascinating is that bees within a caste seem to somehow recognize each other, and will sometimes act in a different manner than bees in another caste!  This is true with swarming.

When bees swarm, most of those in the swarm will be of the same caste, and most of those left behind will be of different castes!  This apparently has to do with why bees are social insects...which is because they thereby have the greatest chances of perpetuating their gene pool.  I recall that Tom also said "more research is needed"...

Lloyd
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http://www.rossrounds.com


Lloyd Spear, Owner of Ross Rounds, Inc.
Manufacturer of round comb honey equipment and Sundance pollen traps