Hi all

It is fairly clear that math alone cannot predict the size a colony will attain nor the honey production. Jerzy Woyke exposed many of the myths and flaws in his work.

QUOTED MATERIAL FOLLOWS

It is commonly accepted by beekeepers that the egg-laying capacity of the queen directly
affects the amount of brood produced in the colony, which in turn, through its influence on
colony population, is a major factor in honey production. But, as any beekeeper should know,
colonies with the most brood do not always become the most populous, nor do the most
populous colonies always produce the most honey.

Colonies in the favourable season of 1978 reached a strength of 20 900-41 000 workers, with
an average of 30 200. In July 1979 an average ot 17 400 workers were found in colonies whose
queens were 1 year old and 16 600 in colonies with queens of 2 years

Average colony worker population of 30 200 on 22 June was less than the 35 000 listed by
Farrar (1937), the 39 500 found by Moeller (1958), or the 37 000 found by McLellan (1978).
Thus, despite similar brood production, populations in my experimental colonies did not
reach the levels reported by other authors.

On the average, adult worker populations amounted to only 40-60% of the numbers that should have
emerged, based on brood-cell estimates for the preceding 42--day period. Average length of productive
life of workers varied from 21 to 25 days 

* Individual productivity of workers had a greater influence than colony population on the amount of honey produced

* colonies headed by queens 1 year old produced 19-27% more honey than those with queens 2 years old.

It is concluded that honey production is governed by the interaction of 3 primary factors: average daily brood
production, length of worker life and individual productivity of workers.

Journal of Apicultural Research 23(3): 148-156 (1984)
CORRELATIONS AND INTERACTIONS BETWEEN POPULATION,
LENGTH OF WORKER LIFE AND HONEY PRODUCTION BY
HONEYBEES IN A TEMPERATE REGION
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