Hello All

David Eyre wrote as follows:

>      I was talking of self made, or emergency queens, made when the hive is
>not expecting a lost queen. The hive goes into emergency mode and 3-4 days
>later you'll find, but few take the time to look, sealed queen cells.
>        It takes 3 days to hatching, so those sealed at 3 days after emergency
>only get a 6 day feeding, instead of 9 which is normal.

Perhaps I am mis understanding what David Eyre wishes to convey, but I do
not understand the above.

A normal queen larva is fed for only 5 days, (3 days as an egg, 5 days
unsealed, 8 days sealed). Where did 6 days feeding and 9 days feeding come
from?.

Is David saying that pressure of circumstances can force or otherwise
persuade the bees to alter the times that the normal metamorphoses take
place?. I have not come across this before. I understand that for any
species of bee, the times as egg, larva and pupa were fixed within very
small tolerances. Are there any references for a contrary view point.

>Someone once wrote, 'you can always tell a beekeeper, but not much'.

You can sure tell this beekeeper much as he has much to learn.

Sincerely

Tom Barrett
49 South Park, Foxrock
Dublin 18
Ireland
Tel + 353 1 289 5269
Fax + 353 1 289 9940