While about to reply on the List to Erin's original question it occured to me that I don't fully understand the mechanism of egg laying in either worker or queen. I was a bit puzzled by the sting being a modified ovipositor and wondered whether it could still be used for the purpose and, if not what is the alternative. So I turned to my bookshelves for guidance, first to Winston and and then to Dade. They pointed me in what I thought was the right direction but not without ambiguity, although it was good to be reminded of the quality of the drawings in Dade's book (Anatomy and dissection of the honeybee). I then looked at Lesley Goodman's 'Form and Function in the Honeybee' (the book with the'wow' factor that should be on every beekeeper's Christmas present list) but the ambiguity was unresolved. Lastly I found my copy of Celia Davis' 'The Honey Bee inside out' and there I think I have found my answer. The Bursa copulatrix lies between the vagina and the outside world. Davis writes 'It is a wide cavity opening to the outside of the body, with the sting loosely anchored to its top surface.' The looseness of the sting may answer my questions: does the sting get in the way when the queen lays her eggs in the bottom of cells? Could the sting be a reason why laying workers often don't seem to deposit eggs as neatly as Mother does? Has anybody observed egg laying in a cell against the glass of an observation hive enabling what is normally hidden to be seen? What have thy noticed about it? Are there pictures on line? I apologise that this mail is seeking informed discussion of bee biology rather than politics so to ensure that it gets past the moderators maybe I should point out that I do play with small cell and naturally drawn comb and that my only tentative conclusion so far is that you get more bees to a frame if the cells are smaller. Chris -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and other info ---