________________________________

From: queenbee [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Sat 2006.04.01 01:44
To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology
Subject: Drones above the excluder



Chris asks

 > What leads you to conclude that the drones were as a result of eggs laid
> by workers and not 
> a) trapped above the excluder by a manipulation by the beekeeper

Firstly it was drones in worker cells.  If it was manipulation of brood
being brought up, then you would expect to see workers in workers cells and
drones in drone cells.  In these cases it was sealed drone brood plus
hatched drones.  The first time, the results of which are in the paper, I
had not carried out any raising of the brood above the excluder for at least
4 months as it was the end of winter and I do not raise brood during winter.
The second case I looked at my recods, as kept for my barrier system, and I
had not added any supers during the previous 4 weeks.  I had taken supers
off and I only carry our brood raising when I add supers.

> b) The result of eggs moved by anarchistic bees?

If it was eggs moved, as against laid, by anarchistic bees, then what type
would they move?  Workers, drones?  My understanding is that anarchistic
behaviour is caused by workers with activated ovaries.  In the two cases I
saw, there was much drone sealed brood, 100's +, so they would have had to
move all these eggs and placed them in the cells side by side in a normal
laying pattern.  Would moved eggs be in a normal laying pattern or in a
random pattern?

Trevor Weatherhead
AUSTRALIA
Coming to Apimondia in Australia in 2007?

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