Greetings all Stan Sandler asked about breeding bigger & better bees: > > Does anyone know whether someone has tried to breed bees selecting for > larger size? It seems to me that there might be numerous advantages this > would confer: > the bees could carry larger nectar and pollen and water loads; they might > be able to "buzz" pollinate blueberry blossom (maybe cranberry too, I don't > know if bumblebees do that in cranberry); they might be able to fly at > lower temperature since their surface to volume ratio would decrease; and > they might even be more prone to chewing up varroa mites as their larger > distant relatives the bumblebees apparently do. > The person to consult in this is probably Professor Jerzy Woyke of Poland; it has been an interest of his for some while and he presented a paper on precisely this theme at the Apimondia conference at Lausanne. Regards Mike Mike Allsopp Honeybee Research Unit Tel: 021-8874690 Plant Protection Research Institute Fax: 021-8833285 Agricultural Research Council Internet: [log in to unmask] Private Bag X5017, Stellenbosch, Pmail: plant3/vredma 7599, South Africa