>> Dr. Medhat Nasr did some work on close relation mating. It was >> established that the closer the relationship to sister-brother then the more >> the pattern disintegrated into this shot gun look. >> I would suggest your breeder leaves a lot to be desired. >> >Hi David, I'm wondering if there is a breeder that gets 90% or better , >solid brood patterns.I would like to know if anyone has had a consistant >source of solid laying queens.There has been plenty of work done on the >genetic factor of egg laying. Dr. Rinderers book, Bee Genetics and >Breeding, goes in depth into sex determination and mating designs. I >wonder how many follow it in practice.. A lot depends on where you learnt your bee keeping/queen rearing. There are some very strict rules, break them at your peril!! I believe we get 90% or better, every time. Why? because it's not just a game of numbers, we stick to the rules. It's a case of buyer beware. If the queens you buy this year have bad manners, and a poor pattern, don't buy there again. There are lots of supposed breeders who are definitely only in it for the money, and not the improvement of stock. **************************************************** * David Eyre 9 Progress Drive, Unit 2, * * The Beeworks, Orillia, Ontario, L3V 6H1. * * [log in to unmask] 705-326-7171 * * http://www.muskoka.net/~beeworks * * Agents for: E H Thorne & B J Sherriff UK. * ****************************************************