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Date: | Sun, 21 Jul 2013 06:45:33 -0400 |
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Allen wrote: "I have no interest in the 4.9 fantasy, but I do have an
interest in
knowing if small changes in cell size might have importance in northern
winters and springs. From limited tests, I suspect they do.
How would we test this theory?"
Contact beekeepers using local bees in Scandinavia and Russia parts of
which will have similar latitude and climate to parts of Canada.
Obtain samples of naturally drawn comb from them. Generally creatures
get bulkier the further from the equator or sea level they are. The
northern European honeybee, Apis mellifera mellifera tends to have a
larger body size to the Italians (A.m.Ligustica).
Beowulf Cooper in The Honeybees of the British Isles wrote in his
section on the physical characteristics of native bees: " GENETICALLY
LARGE SIZE. When given large cell foundation of 700 cells per square
decimetre instead of the 'standard' type (850 or 800) normally sold in
the British Isles, native strains produce appreciably larger bees, with
wing length and breadth 5-10% greater than the same strains kept on
standard foundation. Italian and Carniolan strains tested respond
little in this way: i.e. they appear to be full-sized on 850 or 800
comb already...............
............Larger body size must tend to reduce heat loss and is
probably associated with larger (if more dilute) nectar loads. The
smaller, faster flying strains from hotter, drier climates may find
that with more concentrated nectar it pays to make more but shorter
journeys. At any rate observation shows that native colonies, with few
bees on the wing, can put honey into supers as fast during a honey flow
as can much more populous Italian colonies."
Chris
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