Hi to all on BEE-l
Allen Dick wrote:
Not sure what the ratio is in Tucson, but it is
significant. Maybe Dee,Erikson or degrandi-Hofman will
offer answers, since I am not comfortable speaking for any
of them. They all have hands-on experience with this over
some considerable timeframe and could comment better on the
frequency of success.
Reply:
When the experiment we were working on in the late 1980s
was done, I had been fooling around with the trait for a
number of years with small mating cages on our industrial
lot. Then when with contract with the USDA we moved 18 nucs
to the Tucson Bee Lab for observation, study, and
verification by them on a technical exchange of
information.
The colonies I picked out and put into 5 frames nucs were
then tested for thelytoky and 55.6% reared worker brood
from the wggs of laying workers, and 50% reared queens. But
both similarities and differences were found between laying
workers of our bees and those known for Cape bees.
Now this was an experiment, in the field the frequency is
actually much smaller even for us, as the 18 nucs I picked
out then only represented approximately 2% thereabouts of
our bees.
Also, the only times I have seen it occurring is with the
extreme hot of our summers or during our winters. I
probably see it more then other beekeepers because we
practice out-0f-season breeding, besides other field
methodology used to sort out good winter carry-over bees
from not so good. But it is a good backup system to have if
one knows how to use it.
Also, one other thing, I have NEVER seen it occurring with
yellow queens, even in Italian mixtures here and believe
that it is the black side of the Italian showing the trait.
This I have stated before elsewhere, though I have no doubt
in my mind, if we were in a natural area for true golden,
if it occurs, it could be found and seen. Therefore,
Question: Are Golden Italian a naturally occurring race or
a man-made one from Italians??
Regards,
Dee A. Lusby
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