-----Original Message-----
From:   Lloyd Spear [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent:   Saturday, August 07, 1999 10:08 AM
To:     Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues
Subject:        Emergency queens

The following message has been delayed as my ISP would not connect to Bee-L!
Allen Dick said "BUT at the end of the fourth day, we see '4th moult
(Sealing)'.  To me this
seems to indicate that the cell is sealed when the larva is four days old.

Now, here's the puzzler.  It has been repeated here on BEE-L time and again,
that if a hive is dequeened and, then-four days later-sealed cells are
found, that they must perforce be from old larvae chosen by the bees.  I
don't get it."

I recently had an opportunity to ask Dr. Larry Connor about this assertion.
For those of you who do not know, Larry is an outstanding bee scientist and,
among other things, started and maintained the Midnite and Starline programs
for many years.  Without attempting a direct quote (Larry, if I am mistaken
jump in and correct me), Larry offered the views:
1-      As far as he knows no one has ever studied the ages of the larvae
selected when the bees raise emergency queens
2-      "It doesn't make sense" that the bees would use anything but optimum
larvae.  Producing a queen takes a lot of energy and all animals have
evolved to conserve energy wherever possible.


Lloyd
Lloyd Spear, Owner, Ross Rounds, Inc.  The finest in comb honey production.
www.rossrounds.com