>
> >Well they are not really emergency cells, rather just queen cell butts.
> Emergency cells, also known as queenless cells are drawn from worker cells.
> Why the bees construct butts is a moot point.


Not sure about moot Geoff.  I was recently discussing this with another
researcher, and brought up the observation that Primorsky Russian bees are
known for maintaining numerous butts (we typically call them "cups"), and
frequently start rearing and then tear down supersedure queens.  The
Russians appear to like to keep developing queens "in reserve."  This
aspect of behavior deserves further study.

I also also have never noticed eggs in those cups when colonies are rearing
emergency cells, but I've also never methodically looked.  I now have
frames of eggs and young larvae prepared (by excluding a laying queen to a
single frame), and plan to start my first testing today or tomorrow.

Aaron asks: So where do the bees get the forceps?

Fortunately, they are born with them.  Similar to how we are born with
fingers for typing, even though typing skills were until recently not a
fitness factor in human evolution.

-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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