Hi all
I think this was discussed before, but the effect of abnormal temperature on queens has been assessed:
> We documented that during shipment queens are exposed to temperature spikes (<8 and >40°C) and these spikes can kill 50% or more of the sperm stored in queen spermathecae in live queens. Clearly low sperm viability is linked to colony performance and laboratory and field data provide evidence that temperature extremes are a potential causative factor.
Pettis JS, Rice N, Joselow K, vanEngelsdorp D, Chaimanee V (2016) Colony Failure Linked to Low Sperm Viability in Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Queens and an Exploration of Potential Causative Factors. PLoS ONE 11(2)
But what the hay, go ahead and cook your bees!
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