From: "deelusbybeekeeper" <deelusbybeekeeper@excelonline.com>
Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2001 14:30:22 -0700
To: <BiologicalBeekeeping@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: Re: Queenless Bees

Hi to all on Biological Beekeeping

The following question was asked:

> Hello all, I was wondering if bees will produce a queen if one is
> absent, and there are no queen cells present and all brood has been
> sealed? Thanks

Reply:

Yes, but it takes bees more on a natural system to do so and very wide
genetics. Back in the 1880s and into the early 1900s, self-fertile worker
bees were reported to be found in most all bees used by beekeepers, though predominant in the smaller black races/strains.

It is a secondary backup requeening system used by the bees under times of severe stress emergency conditions, that due to management techniques of i.e. shaking laying workers off into the bushes, instead of letting them do
thier own thing, and naturally requeen, most domestic bees nowadays have
lost the trait for the most part.

Robert has asked about this trait also and for references concerning it. I
shall have to dig them out and go over some here. Basically, since bees
follow plant genetics as individuals and warm blooded characterstics as a
whole working group, it should be explained and the triggers for doing so,
so beekeepers can experiment to see if their bees still carry the trait
and/or can resurface it if they want to try.

Regards,

Dee A. Lusby