In a message dated 17/11/2006 13:53:15 GMT Standard Time,  
[log in to unmask] writes:

<<Hi Dave,
I think you are referring to the cases of "Anarchy"  that were found, where
many laying workers were thriving above a queen  excluder. This is indeed
rare, but they DO NOT produce queens. I don't know  of ONE single credible
account of a honey bee worker ever producing an egg  that turned into a queen
(excluding Cape Bees, of  course).>>



I can't place the source, but I've read somewhere  that thelytoky was first 
observed in a strain of 'Punic bees' from Tunisia,  brought to England by John 
Hewitt in, as far as I can make out, the 1880's. I  believe the phenomenon was 
spotted in 1892, and the queen ended up in the  British Museum of Natural 
History. If anyone lives in London, I would imagine  she's still there. It would 
be interesting to know more.  

Regards,

Robert Brenchley
Birmingham  UK


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