In message 
<[log in to unmask]>, Peter L 
Borst <[log in to unmask]> writes
>If our model reflects the actual proximate mechanism for
>the selection of queen larvae in honeybee colonies, this
>would give rise to paternal lineages of royal families,
>which indeed are only rarely found in the worker caste.
>
>from "Rare royal families in honeybees, Apis mellifera"  Moritz, et al
>Naturwissenschaften (2005) 92: 488–491



Hmmm...................I wonder. There are a few things that could be at 
play here and perhaps none of them are actually all that important to us 
the beekeepers.

IF, and in a practical situation I have my doubts, this is valid it may 
well be little more than one drones progeny at the egg or young larva 
stage having more of a 'CHOOSE ME' kind of pheromone than others, and 
this tells us nothing about the qualities of the offspring for us as 
beekeepers.

However, going back a few years, when we brought in queens from Hawaii 
(Kona carniolans) and also from breeders in California (Vaca Valley, 
best queens I ever got) and also Midnites from Yorks in Georgia, it was 
very noticeable (ok, glaringly obvious) that these dark queens had open 
mated to a selection of drones, and many yellow or yellowish progeny 
were present in all types (least in the Vaca Valley ones).

If allowed, for whatever reason, to end up in a swarming condition and 
the virgins were being produced it was easily noticeable that their 
colouration was across the same range and broadly in proportion to the 
workers in the colony. If dark bees were uncommon in the hive you only 
got a few dark virgins, if on the other there were a preponderance of 
dark workers you got a preponderance of dark virgins. This is not 
consistent with a rare patriline being selected.


-- 
Murray McGregor

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