Is it possible that the defensive behavior of AHb is due to queen physiology? I admit that I'm gropeing in the dark and probably don't know enough about what I am asking to be able to state my question in accurate language. But my question still exists, so I will do my best with what I have.
   
  Does the AHb queen give off the same queen pheremones that the European Honeybee queen does? It has been my experience that, when inspecting a colony, I have observed highly defensive honeybees often to bee queenless or they appeared queenless. Things like, bees running on the comb, lack of or no capped brood, no egges present or multiple eggs present,  in the cells and other characteristics that don't come to mind just now.
   
  Could it possibily be that AHb queens have other mechanisms that keep their daughters from laying eggs, and thereby keep the colony calm? Could it be that AHb queens lay so well that that, in itself ,supresses the workers ability to lay eggs? Thereby causing the colony to "think" (for lack of a better word to say it with) that it is queenless?
   
  I have heard that AHb colonies are good honey producers. I don't know that this is true, it's just what I have picked up and therefore could be bunk. But, let's say, for argument's sake that that statment is true. That AHb colonies are good producers. And I'll add, of honey and pollen. If so, I would like to point out, so are queenless colonies. Maybe not in the long run. But I have encountered many queenless colonies, in my years as an Apiary Inspector, that had just as much honey as their neighbors and some with more. Anecdotal this observation may have been, but can you explain it to me? To my way of thinking, the colony was doing what it could to survive, gathering honey while others were trying to replace the absent queen. And being highly defensive so as not to loss their stores to neighbors.
   
  Mark Berninghausen
  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and do not, in any way, reflect or represent the opinion(s) or knowledge of anyone else. mwb

"D. Murrell" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
  
When I requeened my AHB hives, the bees lost most of their AHB type
defensiveness within a week. 
		
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