Sid Pullinger wrote:
> ...Removal of a portion  of one antenna left the queen completely
> dis-orientated and she laid worker and drone eggs indiscriminately.
> ...

Michael Haberl wrote:
> ...When both front legs are (partially) amputated queens laid about
> 89 % fertilised eggs in drone cells. Amputation at more distal
> parts of the front legs resulted in lower frequencies of
> fertilised eggs in drone cells.
> ...

I do not find these two "findings" incompatible. If the queen positions
herself head down into the cell opening making use of the front legs and
then "measures" the diameter of the cell with her antennae it would not
be surprising if "damage" to either the legs or the antennae resulted in
a "mis-judgement" of the cell size. This theory does not quite match the
findings reported above however, particularly the second which should
logically result in unfertilised eggs in worker cells.
Any comments anyone?

cheers Tony
--
Anthony N Morgan,
Førsteammanuensis
Institutt for Elektroteknikk
Høgskolen i Sør-Trøndelag
N-7004 Trondheim, Norway
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Tlf. 73 55 96 04
Fax. 73 55 95 81