In a message dated 97-10-21 03:20:16 EDT, [log in to unmask] (David Eyre)
writes:
 
<<        We note the color of our bees and find a common colour throughout
 each baby nuc. When laying workers appear we start to notice bees of
 a slightly different colour, which because of their difference really
 stand out. Our normal bees have the usual segmentation of colour, but
 these new bees look for all the world as if their segmentation has
 slipped. The bottom two segments are shiny black.       It would seem that
 as the laying worker problem becomes more intense then more and more
 of these different coloured bees appear.
         Could it be that these are the ones that have newly developed
 ovaries? It might be possible as our regular queens have a darker
 back end.
         Constructive comments anyone? >>
 
    I've seen the same effect with full sized hives. But I can't imagine that
many of them going to laying.
 
   I've always considered it to be the general effect of no young bees and
the whole adult population is aging. Their fuzz is wearing off, which helps
make them more shiny
 
   Plus, with little brood, they are not flying as much for pollen. The bee
life span is determined by flight time more than anything else.  More bees
all hanging around together in tight quarters, many of them very aged in
terms of honeybee life span = general build up of viruses.
 
   That may be another reason why it is nearly impossible to requeen laying
workers.
 
[log in to unmask]    Dave Green   Hemintway, SC  USA
The Pollination Scene:   http://users.aol.com/pollinator/polpage1.html