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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
Peter Borst <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sat, 8 Jul 2023 16:29:58 -0400
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> Has anyone harvested sperm from those small drones in laying worker colonies and used it for insemination? 

Yes. One of the most well-known commercially viable queen breeders used this method to produce drones for insemination because it was more reliable than to try and get drones raised in normal colonies. She/he told me not to tell anyone because people would question whether or not the sperm from little drones was the same as that from regular sized drones. 

Anyway, I would assume that nobody has done the requisite research project to ascertain this but I think it's safe to say the viability and quality of sperm in humans does not correlate with the size of the parent, although large or small body size is hereditary. Small and large bodies can also be produced by environmental factors, of course, as in the case of the drone bees.  Anyway, yes.

PLB

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