Hi All
 
Enjoyed browsing though the posts on bee egg fertilisation.
 
It was mentioned drone eggs are not fertilised, and that a valve of
some sort may play a part in this. My geuss here is that at some
point before the egg passes the point where fertilisation is possible
it contacts some hormone which causes the egg to become temporarily
impermiable by making it 'pretend' to be fertilized. Eggs normally
undergo a subtle chemical change after fertilization that makes it
difficult for the enzymes in the apex of sperm cells to digest their
way to the nucleus and affect fertilisation.
 
I know Moritz et al showed that it is possible for multiple sperm
fusions with a single egg cell as well as mitochondrial DNA from
DRONES was found in fertilized eggs, and this was DNA of different
drones in the same egg - something to make anybody who believes the
whole mitochondrial DNA is only passed on through the maternal line
myth very worried.
 
So my geuss would be that it is perfectly possible for workers to
fertilise eggs - by accident - and on purpose. If we assume we have a
sneaky non capensis laying worker laying an unfertilised egg in the
bottom of a cell in which a queen has just layed an egg, it is
perfectly possible that a few surpluss sperm cells that may have been
stuck to the surface of that egg may come in contact with the
unfertilized 'drone' egg the worker is laying. If the egg is not
fertilized it will be cleared, if it is it will stay.
 
Interesting concept.
 
Keep well
 
Garth
 
Garth Cambray           Camdini Apiaries
15 Park Road
Grahamstown             Apis mellifera capensis
6139 South Africa
 
Time = Honey