Hello Karen,
Your explanation is correct. I would add that the clones do lay a high
percentage of drones which adds to the problem in a European hive.

Karen asks:
> If someone has the answer as to why Cape psuedo-clones are raised as
queens  only in hives that started as an all Cape Bee hive, but never in
hives that  start out as another race (scutellata in SA), that would be
enlightening.

I have asked the same question of a number of researchers.

Although there are several possible reasons the answer most given concerns
pheromones of capensis. Capensis pheromones seem to be on a level different
from all other races.
 In other words when a pure capensis hive loses a queen the workers miss the
strong pheromone and raise a new queen. If the hive remains queenless for a
period of time ( queen hatches and kills other virgin queens. flys out to
mate and does not return)then clones can develop even in pure capensis
colonies.

Not exactly like in our hives when laying workers develop but very similar.
Time is the key in my opinion. When capensis workers drift into non capensis
hives and the European pheromones are lower(pssibly  different) they simply
do what the are programmed to do and start laying eggs. As with ALL
thelytoky when the queen pheromone is gone thelytoky starts.

Bob