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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
Peter Borst <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 31 Jan 2002 17:56:58 -0500
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In the Cape Bee (Apis mellifera capensis), queen replacement based on the
eggs of laying workers appears to be rare.

Prof. H. R. Hepburn writes about in his book "Honeybees of Africa"(1998).
He studied 30 *unmanaged* colonies of Cape bees over a period of 4 years.
In these colonies he found normal supersedure , from a queen's egg, in 25
cases. In 11 cases, supersedure was begun, only to be given up and the old
queen was allowed to continue. Protracted polygyny (more than one queen)
occurred in 5 cases with 1 of these having 3 queens for several months.

In only 4 cases (7%) was a queen raised from a worker egg. And 3 of these
colonies later absconded (abandoned the hive).


Peter Borst <[log in to unmask]>

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