>From: "Dave D. Cawley, a De Leon Socialist" <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject:      Why Does Requeening Work?
>
>> From: Michael Moroney <[log in to unmask]>
>> Anyway, around here on a nice sunny day the bees are too busy out gathering
>> nectar, and almost don't care if you open their hive.  Most beekeepers
>> would requeen a hive as mean as the one you describe.  It is true that
>> killing bees does trigger the defensive mechanism in other bees.
>
>        How does requeening calm a mean hive?
>
 
The new queen has already been on her mating flights and therefore does
not need any genetic material from the existing colony.  Presumably the
new queen has been bred to have good traits such as calmness.  Eventually
her progeny dominate the disposition of the colony, thus calming the hive.
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