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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
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Tue, 21 Aug 2007 14:07:11 GMT
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Interesting.  Was the 5.2 mm worker comb from feral nests?

The worker cells from my feral nest removals have conistantly (with a single larger 
exception) been 5,0 mm across in the center of the nest.

I removed a newly moved in swarm in Baldwin, NY on Friday.  The swarm had moved in about 3 
weeks ago and the largest comb was about 12 in. long in the vertical direction.  It would 
have been larger had the inexperienced exterminator not knocked off half the bees!  
Fortunately, there was no insecticide residue in the combs since the nest was much higher 
that the entrance.

As expected, just about all the cells were devoted to raising brood at this time. I did 
not measure the extreme cell sizes at the top and the bottom but one could visually tell 
the cells at the top of the comb were larger than the ones on the bottom.  All the cells 
had either eggs or larvae in them.  There was a cell size reduction as one went down in 
the vertical direction although the majority of the cells in the middle of the comb were 
about the same 5,0 mm size.

The queen was longish, slender but not big.  The queens I've collected from that area 
(southern and central Nassau County) this year have had a similar body shape.  Some of the 
bees had an interesting light coloration - hinted of the Cordovan strain - not often seen 
around here.  Very gentle bees despite the heavy predation by yellow jackets this year.  
Hardy used any smoke.

I don't know of any beekeepers in this highly populated area and so I am not sure of the 
origin of this colony.  The queen was again unmarked.

This year there have been very few spring swarms and quite a few in late July/ early 
August.  I assume this is due to the cold snap in April that must have set back the feral 
colonies' development.

Waldemar
Long Island, NY

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