> Has anyone heard / heard of, workers piping?

Yes I have heard it and actually seen the worker doing the piping.  I had
long thought that workers can pipe because I had the same experience where I
had a queen on a frame and then pull the next frame out and heard the piping
from a bee on that frame.

One time I had the queen on one frame that I had removed and then heard the
piping from the next frame I was taking out.  I saw a worker on the frame
laying itself prostrate on the frame making the piping sound.  It then stood
up and, after a few seconds, prostrated itself and again made the piping
sound.

I wonder if the piping sound that we call queen calling is actually workers.
We  have had 100's of cages in the house with queens and escorts in them for
export and I have heard this piping but I have not seen a queen piping.  Was
it actually the workers?  All I know is that I have seen a worker piping and
have not seen a queen piping.  It doesn't mean that queens do not pipe but
it shows that workers definitely do.

Trevor Weatherhead
AUSTRALIA