>
> >We don't know if the bees' evaluate the queen based on her egg output or
> by pheromones.
>

As best I can tell, they do both.

>
> 2) Rather, she releases a quantity of semen which has a multitude of
> sperms, of which a dozen or more may enter the egg.
>
Not according to:  Sperm use economy of honeybee (Apis mellifera) queens

>
> >It would definitely mean a reduction in the number of high quality
> sperms, and an increased likelihood that the egg will be fertilized by a
> poor quality genome.
>

That's a big jump from poor quality sperm to poor quality genome!

>I would submit that despite all that has been said, commercial queen
> rearing cannot produce the best possible queens. In nature, except in
> emergencies, queens are raised from selected eggs.


That's a big step too, Pete!  In nature, queens are normally reared from
swarm or supersedure cells.  Queens typically lay the egg in swarm cells,
and also in supersedure cells from cups.  The queen does not select the
egg.  And as far as emergency cells, it appears that some "parasitic"
bloodlines that may overall be less "fit" may actually be more attractive
to the nurses.


> >Whereas, queen breeders typically use day old or older larvae, all pulled
> from combs of larvae that were destined to be rank and file workers.
>

That's also a strong statement! Have you experimented with this and
observed your "take"?

-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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