> There are other ways of accounting for this phenomenon..  It seems
> to me that such queens may sometimes be raised from eggs that have
> been lying neglected in some chilly corner of the combs,  until
> found and tended by the workers.  I do not know for certain,  but I
> think it likely that bees'  eggs may remain inert when neglected in
> this way, but may well retain their viability.
 
Well, maybe, but here is an equally improbable(?), but plausable
explanation for eggs showing up in queenless hives:
 
bees are known to fill cells that have eggs with honey or nectar in a
heavyy flow.  Are such eggs preserved and viable when uncovered?
 
I had though that eggs would neeed to breathe and always hatch after
a definite period of time, but when I stop to reflect, I realise i
really know very little about them.
 
Regards
 
Allen
 
W. Allen Dick, Beekeeper                                         VE6CFK
RR#1, Swalwell, Alberta  Canada T0M 1Y0
Internet:[log in to unmask] & [log in to unmask]
Honey. Bees, & Art <http://www.internode.net/~allend/>