> > I saw a worker laying an egg the other day. In a completely queen-right
> > hive with a healthy, fecund queen. That made my whole week.
>
> Now I am a new keeper, but it aint April 1st so can someone explain this
> phenomenon?

This was discussed several years ago on this list.  It was under drones
above the excluder.  There is research to show that workers do lay eggs and,
naturally, they become drones.  They are drones in worker cells and not in
drone cells which would stand to reason.  I have found it and sent samples
away for examination on the request of Dr. Ben Oldroyd.  There is an article
on this.  It is Nature Vol. 371 27 October, 1994 page 749.  It appears in
the scientific correspondence section.  The title is "Anarchy in the
beehive" by Benjamin P. Oldroyd, Adam J Smolenski, Jean-Marie Comuet and
Ross H Crozier.

The particular hive that I sampled had a queen that was mated with at least
12 drones.  All work was DNA.

This study is still being carried out in Australia with beekeepers asked to
send in drones from above the excluder.  I understand it can happen in the
brood chamber below the excluder but the eggs or just hatched larvae are
removed by workers from a different line to the one that laid the eggs.

Trevor Weatherhead
AUSTRALIA