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Subject:
From:
"P. Aras et M. Boily" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Discussion of Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 21 Apr 1997 10:53:56 -0500
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Brian R Tucker wrote:
>
> I have a story then a question.
>
> I have this hive that I requeened the other day. The queen was still in the
> cage after a few days so I went ahead and released her. As soon as I let her
> out she went straight to an open cell of honey and started eating.
 
 
>>The assertion that the queen is always fed by her court, with the
>>implication that she cannot feed herself, and sometimes that she is fed
>>only Royal Jelly, I believe, is false.  I have watched a good many
>>Queens hatch from their own Queen cells, and they quite often go
>>promptly to a honey cell nearly full, and drink long and hard with a
>>"pumping" abdomen.  They are *not* exploring the cell before mime
>>laying, although even virgin queens often do that.   Subsequently, I
>>have watched mature queens feed themselves from honey cells, even come
>>out of a cell just layed in, proceed immediately to a honey cell and
>>eat, again with "pumping" abdomen. .  The frequency with which her
>>"court" does feed the queen (royal jelly I presume) is quite necessary.
>>This food, produced by younger nurse bees capable of making it, must
>>either deposit it into building queen cells, into 1-2 day old larval
>>brood cells, or feed it to the queen (As far as I know, it is not stored
>>elsewhere).  Obviously, the queen needs a great deal of this material to
>>help enhance production of certain necessary pheromones, and especially
>>she needs its high protein content, from which she builds a thousand(s)
>>eggs each day.  Thus, while it *appears* that she is being exclusively
>>fed, I am certain that she feeds herself honey at least part of the
>>time!  I shall be interested to know others have made such observations
>>on this.   Thanks for a timely observation, Brian.
 
>>Bob Barnett, Birmingham, Ala
 
 
 
When very very hungry, very few adult living beings will wait for
someone else to feed them if the food is available. If the're like my
loving wife, it's get out of the way, i'm damn hungry. Must be the same
even for monarchs.
Just one thing, the sucking pump of the bee is in the head of the
animal, the pumping action of the abdomen is for air intake through the
spiracles. As a mater of fact, bees do not breathe by their mouth.
 
Philippe Aras, Carillon, Qc

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