To Bee Biologists
 
One particular aspect of Bee Biology (amongst many) is making me think
obsessively at the moment.
 
Eggs!!  The queen attaches an egg with a form of delicate"cement". What is
this glue?  Is it on the end of the egg when it is laid or does the queen
deposit the glue on the cell floor and then place the egg on it?
 
 Over 3 days the egg gradually leans over until it lies down.  Just as well
as the delicate larva would have a difficult time if it hatched from the top
end of a still standing egg!
 
The shell does not break open nor is it nibbled from inside like other
insect eggs.  It  dissolves.  Is this by some well timed enzymatic action?
 
But the most amazing thing to me is what causes the topple.  It cannot be
gravity as in a queen cell the egg has to "topple" upwards.  Perhaps it does
in a worker cell too sometimes if the direction of topple is random.  But
may be it isn't.
 
Can anyone supply or direct me to some answers.
 
Thanks
 
Glyn Davies ,  Ashburton,  Devon UK