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Date: | Fri, 4 Sep 2020 08:42:20 -0700 |
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> Again, the theories of supersedure fail to account for what we actually
observe.
Not sure that I agree, Pete. The bees have a number of cues for the
initiation of supersedure, and may start and stop the process (as evidenced
by the Primorsky Russians, who often have supersedure cells in progress).
Some of the cues to initiate supersedure are:
- Lack of the "I'm healthy and fertile" queen pheromonal signal(s), or
conversely, perhaps a "replace me" signal.
- The percentage of unfertilized eggs being laid (indicating lack of
viable spermatozoa).
- Lack of young brood pheromone (indirectly indicating lack of egg
laying).
- Colony stress due to parasites or disease (blame the queen).
- Change or mismatch in the queen's cuticular hydrocarbon odors (similar
to the shifts in CHCs during brood development and subcaste transition in
adult workers).
- Perhaps the queen laying an egg in a preformed cell cup.
-
- Perhaps failure to lay the expected amount of eggs in response to
feeding by the nurses?
There are clearly a number of reasons that the "colony" (or is it a few
individuals?) initiate the process of supersedure.
My question, however, is not what initiates supersedure, but rather why
does it seem that colonies are not superseding as well as they used to (if
that is indeed the case).
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
ScientificBeekeeping.com
>
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