In a message dated 7/17/99 7:57:29 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

> I have another question, to satisy my insatiable curiosity. I posed =
>  several questions to the archives but could not phrase the question to =
>  elicit an answer...
>  With whom does the queen mate?  OK, I know she mates with a drone, but =
>  is it a drone from her own hive?

This is not desirable, as it would be her brother. The viability of the brood
would be very poor. Either the bees take out the larvae (of incest), or they
die and are then removed. I think this is a danger, where few hives are kept
in a spot, and no wild bees are left.

>  When she takes her mating flight does she travel with her own drones or =
>  does she troll for a drone from another hive?

She goes to a drone congregation area. I don't think anyone knows how these
are chosen, and how the queen (or drones for that matter) know how to get
there.

>  The literature I have found says simply, "she mates with a drone..."

My understanding is that she needs to mate 12-15 times to have a long life.
If she does not have enough sperm cells, she will peter out (usually becoming
a drone layer) early.  Oftentimes queens that are poorly mated do not get
through the season. Sometimes they are superseded; other times, the beekeeper
has to intervene.

[log in to unmask]     Dave Green  Hemingway, SC  USA
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